The Bonds of Friendship
by SunsetSky412
Summary: Arthur and Merlin's friendship has grown strong but with a new twist in their lives they will have to stick together to save eachother and deal with their new found connection. (Updated 27/03/2013)
1. The Retusum Tournament

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer: **Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline and Harold belong to me

27/03/2013 - All these chapters have been updated, still not to a standard that I'd like since due to exams I don't have time to fully sort through them but I think some bits have much needed improvements :)

Hope you don't mind the changes - and don't worry, no plot points have altered x

* * *

><p><strong>The Retusum Tournament<strong>

* * *

><p>Cheers and laughter were the sounds that blew around the streets of Camelot; amazed gasps and squeals of fear and excitement mingled among the carefree joy. The Retusum Tournament was currently taking place and all of Camelot's citizens were tightly packed around the main arena; the ones who had arrived at the crack of dawn sitting in the stands and the rest just as happily standing behind the barriers; being peasants they didn't care about where they were placed, they were just satisfied to be able to see the tournament that gave them a day to relax and forget about the struggles of their lives.<p>

Merlin looked around at the cheerful faces of Came lot; his grin out doing them all, _this is__ how Camelot should always be. _Even the King was letting his stony mask slip and was laughing and clapping along with his subjects; a rare sight for many.

Merlin for one didn't see the point in The Retusum Tournament. It was simply a jousting contest fought without full armour, instead only a thin layer of chain mail, _not that I'm complaining, less of Arthurs armour for me to clean_ and the knights competing would only use blunt wooden jousts to ensure nobody got hurt.

"Ohhh!" A groan of relating pain came from the crowd as one of the knights went flying from his horse before rolling among the dirt and coming to a sharp stop. _Yeah sure, that guy doesn't look hurt at all! _Merlin rolled his eyes, he would never understand Camelot's idea of fun but at least everyone was happy.

"There you are!" Merlin was jolted out of his thoughts by a sudden smack to his back, he stumbled forward at the contact but was quickly balanced by two hands on his shoulders, "Really Merlin you would think as a servant to the prince you would have a few more observational skills." A fond smile crossed the servant's face at the sound of the familiar rough teasing voice.

"Yes but since the prince is a prat I think I can be forgiven," The banter rolled off his tongue as he turned to face Arthur, "Besides I assumed you wouldn't need me since you're not wearing that ridiculous metal suit today, unless someone needs help putting a bit of chainmail on?" He ended in a patronizing tone, raising one black eyebrow in amusement.

The blonde prince grinned at the younger boy, shaking his head in mock concern, "I see you still think you're funny Merlin, but I guess everyone's allowed a dream."

"Yes, like your ambitious dream to be able to dress yourself," Merlin snorted as he noticed Arthur's chain mail, "Which you have yet again failed; the side with the longer neckline goes at the front Mr Sarcastic." He laughed at his friend's bewildered expression as he looked down at his chain mail which was indeed the wrong way round.

"Yes, well if _somebody_ had been where they were supposed to be this morning then maybe I would be dressed correctly, besides as the heir to the throne I have more important things to worry about than my clothes!" Merlin smirked at the light blush that rose on Arthur's cheeks at being caught out, it wasn't often the young man got the better of him, _but then he turns back to his motto,_ _when in doubt blame Merlin! _

"Of course, I should of remembered the common fact that prince's don't need to waste themselves with the knowledge of everyday essential actions, my mistake." Merlin laughed as he condescendingly ruffled Arthur's hair.

Arthur swatted at the offending hands whilst simultaneously trying to smooth his hair down again but Merlin wouldn't give in and continued messing up the prince's hair, "Merlin, I have to compete in a minute, I can't go out with messy hair!"

"Don't worry; it will distract everyone from the backwards clothes!" He teased through his laughter.

Arthur couldn't take it anymore, _thinks he's got the better of me does h__e? _At this thought the prince abandoned the feeble attempt of fixing his hair and launched his hands towards Merlin's stomach. The boy's attack was force to a halt as he burst into pearls of hysteric laughter, "No Arthur… don't… you know how ticklish I am… get off!" He gasped as he fell to the floor, curling himself up to try and block Arthur's vicious tickling.

"What was that Merlin? I can't hear you through your laughter; it sounds like you're having fun!" Arthur questioned with fake confusion as he continued tickling his manservant, _you should never tell me facts like being ticklish; did you really think I wouldn't use it against you? _Arthur burst out laughing as Merlin started to roll from side to side to try and knock him off.

The two boys didn't notice the looks they were getting from the knights or how most of the crowd were not so subtly watching the prince and his servant rather than the current joust. Nobody understood the relationship between the two; a prince and a servant? That was the furthest way from how they acted; nobody had ever got the side of the prince that could now be seen out of him before and everyone doubted that anybody apart from Merlin would ever be able to do so. The prince kneeling in the dirt tickling a servant! Tickling anyone for that matter! Nobody would have believed the sight a few years ago but present day these kinds of displays of what some would call affection were normal.

A few of the guards casually moved over to block the King's eye line to his son in case he happened to look over. They knew the King would defiantly not approve of such actions from his son and despite how the guards and most of the knights also didn't approve of the prince's affection for the lowly servant they knew that the prince in a happy mood was a lot more pleasant and relaxed than him in a sour one.

They all remembered the time Merlin had left for a week to visit his ill mother and Arthur had been left without his shadow servant for that whole time. Rumours were that the prince had actually asked his father if he could go _with_ Merlin but people were unsure if these were true; the prince of Camelot could not have dared asked to visit a peasant outside of the kingdom simply because she was his servants mother!

But whatever had happened in the throne room it was defiantly true that the prince had been in a worse mood with Merlin gone. There were a handful of knights with Gaius every evening due to Arthur's brutal training and many servants were seen reduced to tears by the prince's harsh words plus it took Merlin's temporary replacement a couple of weeks to pull himself together before he could face the castle again.

That one week had brought out the old side of the prince before Merlin; and that's how people thought of the prince's attitude now; before Merlin and after Merlin. That week had shown the worst of Arthur and nobody wanted to see it again; he had been completely unreasonable, he even kept refusing to admit that his bad mood was because he missed his servant. Although Merlin's return after that week was something none of Camelot would ever forget; Prince Arthur scolded for his behaviour and apologising!

* * *

><p>Merlin took in the busy noon life of Camelot and smiled; it was good to be back. The main street was full of people; tradesmen, washer women, children playing, Merlin forgot how much he missed the lives. Of course he loved Ealdor but after living in Camelot for so many years the atmosphere was too quiet for him; he craved the noise, the stories, the energy and also, although he would never admit it Arthur.<p>

_Speaking of Arthur, _Merlin spotted Harold, the boy who had kindly said he'd fill in as Arthur's manservant while he was gone. "Harold!" Merlin shouted, a skinny brunette boy about Merlin's age spun around and his face lit up in glee and relief.

"Merlin! Your back, thank goodness!" The boy sprinted over to Merlin and threw himself at him, clinging to the now confused boy as if his life depended on it.

"Harold? It's good to see you too but even I would say this is a bit extreme… hey what's wrong?" Merlin's confusion cut to concern as he felt the boy start to shake against him and his chest start to dampen.

Harold choked a sob into Merlin, "Sorry… I'm just over-reacting… I'm just so glad to see you… for you to be here… to take your job back." The boy stumbled between his words as he tried to calm himself.

Merlin's eyes harden as he pieced the situation together, "Harold, has Arthur been a huge prat while I've been away?"

Harold, who had now stopped his tears, pushed himself off Merlin and took a step back, clearly embarrassed by his outburst. He bit his lip and glanced up at Merlin but his eyes fell back down to his feet at the cold stare of the other boy, "Well the prince was… he… well… yes." He mumbled.

Merlin let out an exasperated sigh and ran his hands through his raven black hair before dragging them down over his face. "I leave him for one week…" He mutters to himself, "Just briefly tell me what he's done Harold."

The boy glanced around nervously, subconsciously wringing his hands together, "Well, after you left the prince started to get in a sour mood and was even angrier. He was harder on the knights and… well there was a few of them left with Gaius every evening and then his tongue was sharper… he might of… well he did drive a few servants to tears… he was just awful… people say he had turned back to… back to his old self… you know before… before you came." The boy shuffled his feet self-consciously as he finished, unsure how the news would be received.

Merlin looked shocked at what he had heard, he knew Arthur could have his bad moods but he'd never in his years of serving him seen him drive anyone to tears. He just wasn't like that, _but yo__u __never knew the old him. _Merlin knew people said he had brought out a change in Arthur but he had never realised what a big change he had brought.

"Harold I am so sorry for Arthur, I never thought he would act like this but…" Merlin trailed of his apology on behalf of his friend as he noticed the noise of the busy street had suddenly dampened; the mood had quickly turned quite sombre. Merlin panickly scanned the area for any sign of danger but then he caught sight of that unique head of golden blonde hair and he realised what had caused the unruly silence and how much the prince's behaviour had affected his people.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted as he spotted his friend, the sight of the prince approaching him without a tone suggesting he was about to have a collection of chores piled on him nearly broke through Merlin's anger - nearly.

"Arthur," Merlin's tone was the exact opposite of Arthur's, it was cold and disappointed. He stepped away from Harold who had slid behind one of the stalls at the sight of the prince and placed himself into the middle of the street. His arms were folded and his lips were set in a straight line, he didn't notice that the whole of the street had stopped their activities and were watching the prince and his servant in curiosity and anticipation.

"What's wrong? You don't look very happy to be back." Arthur questioned in confusion, he too didn't notice the streets gaze lingering between himself and Merlin.

"Oh no, I'm happy to be back, I'm just not very happy with what I heard about a certain prince when I got back." Merlin took a step towards his friend as he spoke, his voice laced with annoyance.

"What have I done?" Arthur asked defensively, also taking a step forward; the crowd's eyes were switching between the two men with each sentence.

"Oh I don't know," Merlin replied sarcastically, "Maybe just beating up your knights, making innocent servants cry and scarring poor Harold who was doing me a favour!" Merlin's outburst got a collected gasp and he had actually shocked himself; he never normally shouted.

Arthur stared at Merlin with his mouth hung open after that surprising scene for a few seconds but he quickly recovered and his Pendragon anger took over, "What are you talking about! I have been doing nothing wrong this week! I didn't beat up my knights I was training them! And making servants cry, that's ridiculous! Maybe some shed some tears but that's just because they couldn't handle the truth of their work!"

Merlin face flushed red at Arthur's words, "Oh yes, that little speech _really _assures me that you've been a lovely person this week! Of course the fact that your temporary manservant flung himself onto to me in tears just now because of how relived he was to be released from you has nothing to do with your stupid behaviour!"

Arthur faltered slightly at this news but his pride got the better of him, "That's a lie!"

Merlin and Arthur were practically face to face now and both equally as red, "Oh so now I'm a liar! Well if that's how you see me then maybe I should just go back home! This was certainly not the reception I was expecting and if you think that I'm going to serve a man who reverts to a monster when he doesn't have something he wants then you'd better think again!" Merlin finished his monologue in nothing more than a hiss and he stared Arthur hard in the eye.

"What?" Arthur's persona had dramatically changed during Merlin's words and he now resembled a hurt little boy; being harshly reprimanded for actions towards those below him was not an event he was prone to.

But Merlin held his ground, "You heard me Arthur, pull your act together, keep hold of yourself, the man that I have seen you become, the man who cares for and loves his people, whatever their status, the man who treats his fellow knights with the respect they deserve and the man who I have come to call my friend, otherwise I don't see my place by your side." Merlin's voice had ended softly but to make his point he turned his back to Arthur and started to slowly walk away.

"Wait," Arthur coughed, running a hand over his face and grabbing his servants arm, stopping him from continuing his retreat.

"You're right," Arthur spoke slowly as if the truth of what had happened was slowly dawning on him, "I've been a monster, an utter monster! I knew how I was acting was wrong but the truth is it was because… I can't believe I'm actually saying this… but because I missed you. You're always there next to me, stopping me from being stupid or too harsh with your annoying remarks and even when you don't verbally reprimand me I control myself because I don't want to disappoint you – not that I'll ever admit to saying that. Look, I am truly sorry and I apologise for my awful behaviour."

The crowd were shocked at the prince's speech, a few whispers started among the people, nobody could remember the prince ever apologising for something without having a threat from his father hanging over his head.

Merlin slowly turned to face his friend, Arthur was flicking his gaze to the street, clearly realising he'd just shown emotion around his citizens and feeling uncomfortable in this situation. Merlin would have normally laughed at the sight of the prince self-consciously shuffling his feet in the dirt but he was aware that could easily reward him a smack over the head, even from an apologetic man so he moved his hand to clasp the prince's shoulder and light-heartedly replied, "Arthur you're not a monster - you're just a prat."

* * *

><p>That confrontation had been retold many times after it had happened, and many citizens who had seen it first-hand swore that it had brought tears to their eyes. Now the peoples love for the duo had grown and they took any opportunity to watch them.<p>

Arthur and Merlin now both lay on the floor wiping the remainders of their tears away, Arthur was the first to stand up and he held out his hand for Merlin. Merlin simply looked at the hand and pouted, crossing his arms stubbornly against his chest like a child in a tantrum.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Come on Merlin, don't be such a girl, it was just tickling."

Merlin looked up at Arthur still pouting but let out a sigh and grabbed his hand to help pull him up, "You call _me_ a girl, you were the one actually tickling someone!" Merlin pointed out as he dusted himself off.

"Says the boy who started playing with my hair, you were probably going to start braiding it if I hadn't of stopped you!" Arthur drawled as he bent down to look at his reflection in a shield and fix his hair.

"Well it would have been an improvement," Merlin stubbornly replied.

Arthur threw him a smirk through the reflection, "For you maybe."

Merlin rolled his eyes and gave a comically over exasperated sigh; he then grabbed Arthur by the shoulders pulling him away from his reflection and gave him a push towards the knights tent, "Yes, yes, we know your handsome but if you don't sort your chain mail out you won't be handsome you'll just be an idiot who can't dress himself, so shoo!" Merlin lectured as he waved Arthur away with a smile on his face.

Arthur jog away from Merlin's flapping hands before looking back at him and replying, "You're forgetting Merlin; you're the idiot." Then with a wink he disappeared into the tent.

Merlin appreciably laughed at the running joke before turning back to the on-going event, _this is one of those days I'm always going to remember; plus it seems the Arthur killers have taken the day off!_ _Bonus!_

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed it, please review :) x<em>


	2. The Truth

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer: **Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

Thankyou so much for the people that have reviewed - they mean so much to me! x

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Truth<strong>

* * *

><p>Arthur reappeared out of the red and golden striped tent now correctly dressed; he was still slightly embarrassed at being caught out for something as trivial as wearing his clothes back to front, <em>but only Merlin noticed so no harm done. <em>

At this thought Arthur scanned the area for his lousy manservant. The main field was full to the brim with citizens of all different classes; although a distinction between the levels of social class was still present. He was currently standing among the competitors tents so was surrounded by knights jostling with their fellow nobles or politely introducing themselves to visiting ones. The next layer was made up of the knights' servants. The servants all stood a few respectable paces behind their masters, wearing the colours of their master's kingdom; this created a multi-coloured circle inside the tents, a circle that was occasionally broken as a servant ran off to do some form of chore for their knight.

Creating a human fence around the competitors' arena was a firm line of frozen, stern guards; dressed in the traditional Camelot colours, each one armed with a sword and long spear. Behind this row of living statues lay the main arena, the colour a general old brown and grey, showing the status of peasants, who were all crammed together around the show area. Only one flash of colour could be seen among the dusty clothes and this shining new gold and red outfit signalled the sign of the highest nobility; the king sat among his citizens, yet in a separate box, creating distance while still seeming intimate.

Despite the vast number of people Arthur spotted his friend straight away. One reason being that Merlin simply didn't understand the level of class so was casually sitting on the wooden barrier around the main arena near where a group of knights were congregating. Arthur could tell from the knight's frequent glares in Merlin's direction that they were not happy with the boys' lack of respect and casual attitude but obviously decided they couldn't comment as they recognised whose servant he was, plus Merlin being Merlin didn't notice the frosty reception and stayed where he was seated. This meant that his outfit stood out from the normal knight wear although now that Arthur's attention had been brought to his servant's clothes, the prince noticed a critical fact; _he doesn't even wear Camelot's colours to match me! That boy is impossible!_

Apart from the fact he stuck out like a sore thumb, Arthur's eyes was so accustomed to the skinny frame and raven hair that he could probably pick him out in an army troop_. Not that he'd be any help in a battle_, Arthur reflexively thought, _actually that's not quite true _a voice nipped at the back of his head.

"Ah, so you've finally fixed your wardrobe," The light voice carried through the air towards Arthur, "Now are you sure that there are no other problems? Trousers inside out? Boots on the wrong feet?"

Arthur's eyes narrowed at the comment,_ although the fright of a battle may just teach him a few lessons. _He lightly jogged over to his friend, ignoring the disapproving looks he was getting from the group of knights, _when are people just going to accept that giving me scolding looks isn't going to stop me from having a friendship, even if it's with a servant. _

The prince gracefully propelled himself onto the wooden bar thanks to his toned muscles and his legs followed in one fluid motion; placing himself next to Merlin who was now facing forward watching the current knight, _Sir Gahald if I go by the angle he's holding his joust_, furiously gallop towards his opponent.

Arthur stared at his servant, waiting for the boy to acknowledge Arthur's presence, but when it seemed he was planning to do no such thing Arthur gave him a sharp nudge in the ribs to gain his attention. Unfortunately for Merlin Arthur momentarily forgot he wasn't one of the prince's highly muscled knights so at the hard impact Merlin let out a startled yelp and his limbs flailed manically as he attempted to gain his balance. Arthur reflectively grabbed Merlin's waist; steadying the boy so he didn't fall and break a bone in that common Merlin fashion.

"Arthur! What was that for?!" Merlin snapped once he had stopped rocking forwards and back, his head spun around to face Arthur, his eyes flashing with anger.

Arthur simply laughed at his expression, bemused by the true extent of Merlin's weakness and how seriously he took situations that drew attention to his lack of physical strength. "For goodness sake Merlin, you're a stick! You really need to get some meat on you! Have you ever heard of this wonderful invention called food? I hear it's delicious!"

Merlin's anger faded at the familiar jibes and he rolled his eyes, smirking at the statement, "Yes well you would know all about food wouldn't you!" He replied; giving Arthur a sharp poke in the stomach.

The prince glanced down at where Merlin's finger had been and let out a huff of frustration, "For the last time Merlin, I am not fat!" Arthur loudly bristled in his 'I'm the prince so what I say is right' voice; or so Merlin had named it. Yet he still defensively placed a hand over his stomach attempting to hide it from the boys view.

Merlin chuckled at Arthur's self-conscious action but he already had his next form of attack set out, "Maybe not, but you are clingy!"

Arthur's face blanked at the comment and he raised an eyebrow in confusion. The corner of Merlin's mouth quirked upwards at the prince's ignorance and he nodded his head towards Arthur's arm, "If you wanted a cuddle I'm sure you could have found a maid who was happy to oblige." His voice started to shake as he spoke, his expression now wiped into a full grin.

Arthur tilted his head, still bewildered at what Merlin was prattling on about but re-directed his gaze towards where Merlin had gestured… _wait, oh shoot! _

Arthur yelped in shock; he still had his arm wrapped around Merlin's waist! Arthur rapidly withdrew his arm from its position but in his panicked haste he lost his balance and went flying backwards. With a hard thump the prince of Camelot was lying in the dirt for the second time that day, _and it's all Merlin's fault! _

Merlin had burst into hysterics at the prince's comic reaction and was now clinging to his sides as they started to scream in humorous agony from the sheer force of his laughter; _and he calls me clumsy!_

Arthur hurriedly scrabbled around in the dirt and clamoured up to try and ensure nobody saw him lying in the dirt yet again and once he was up-right slowly smoothed down his hair in an attempt to maintain his dignity. But he had no chance of doing this with Merlin's screeches in front of him.

"Oh, you think that's funny do you _Mer_lin?" Arthur asked in a huff due to his slightly damaged ego. The younger boy managed to nod even though his body had seemed to have lost all control as he was shaking madly unable to control his laughter.

Arthur gave clapped his hands together and gave them a firm rub, "Right then," He announced before giving the laughing boy a firm shove off the barrier; hearing his friends laughter sharply cut off to be replaced by a loud groan.

Merlin groaned in pain as he lay in his new-found position thanks to the arrogant prince; he ran a hand down the back of his head checking for the unfortunately familiar feeling of a sticky fluid but luckily there was none. _That prats going to be the death of me!_ The boy's eyes flickered open and the world became a blur of colours until the blinding pain in his head ceased and an image of the prince resting his folded arms on the wooden barrier above him with a smug expression on his face came into view.

"Ugh, I should have kept my eyes closed; it was a much better picture." Merlin muttered as he gently manoeuvred himself into a sitting position; sighing in relief as the ringing in his ears also went away.

"Always the charmer Merlin." Arthur mocked as he leant over the barrier, casually holding out his hand to assist the fallen boy but despite Arthur's sarcasm Merlin could tell his friend was feeling guilty for his action, _and so he should be pulling a stunt like that!_

"Shut up! You could have seriously harmed me! Plus that really hurt!" Merlin grumbled as Arthur pulled him to his feet; his body being literally lifted off the ground at Arthur's strength.

"Falling not as fun as it sounds?" Arthur questioned with mock innocence; the prince using the familiar banter to cover the fact his eyes briefly flicked over his friend's body to check for any injury.

"Surprisingly no!" Merlin drawled; rolling his eyes at Arthur's not so subtle medical check, he may not be bulky like the knights but it didn't mean he was going to snap from one fall.

Arthur, assured that his friend was undamaged, smirked at Merlin's tone as he took a step back to allow the boy to slip under the barrier and join him on the other side. "Well don't blame me; it's not my fault if a bundle of pillows didn't suddenly appear to break your fall."

"Of course not," Merlin replied, his face a mask of seriousness, "It's the pillows fault for their lack of punctuality." At this observation Arthur, who had been attempting to force his laughter to remain inside, failed miserably and ended up letting out a strange grunt, snort laugh concoction.

"Merlin, I don't think I could ever even being to imagine how your mind works." Arthur chuckled with an amused sigh.

"Well I wouldn't advise trying, you're tiny brain wouldn't be able to handle it!" Merlin flicked the prince's head alongside his jibe, "Now go away! It's time for you to be fictitiously brave and sickly crowd pleasing during your fake fight." The blue eyed servant ordered with a supposedly supporting pat to his master's back and a wide grin that looked suspiciously like a condescending smirk.

"You know it's a serious fight! It's still dangerous!" Arthur argued despite the fact he agreed with Merlin's description of the tournament, _but he doesn't need to know that. _

"Of course it is," Merlin replied in a tone one would use on a young child who refused to admit he was wrong. "So that means you'd better be extra careful! Especially with all those highly dangerous blunt sticks lying around!"

Arthur smacked Merlin around the head at his continuing condescending voice, "Well if I do get hurt I'll know which _pillow_ to blame." Arthur lightly replied with a knowing look.

Merlin angrily bristled at the comment much to his surprise and threw a cold glare at the prince as he laced his following words with a slight bristle, "Well then I would be careful because perhaps your _pillow_ will decide not to help you if you get your pratty self into trouble as just because your _pillow_ is the best _pillow _around doesn't mean you can rely on it for everything."

Arthur studied Merlin as he spoke, his eyes slightly dilated with shock at the boy's outburst. He sounded genuinely hurt by the prince's light handed remark, _surely he knows I didn't mean anything by it; but I guess it's a sensitive topic for him. _

Arthur's features slipped into a sympathetic smile and once Merlin had stopped ranting in metaphors he went to supportively punch his arm – but quickly stopped himself on remembering his friend always complained about the action, "Don't worry," Arthur reassured with words instead, "I won't be relying on the _pillow _for everything… just to get my chambers cleaned on time." He jibed before jogging off to grab his horse and swiftly move to the entrance of the jousting arena; waiting to be called for his round.

Merlin's anger evaporated at his friend's words, feeling quite idiotic for getting riled by a pass away comment however he had to cover a laugh into an unconvincing cough as he caught the baffled looks on the nearby knights' faces, who were bewildered by the pillow conversation they had just eavesdropped. _Serves them right for listening! _

Merlin took in a deep breath of satisfaction, raising his face to the sky; closing his eyes and simply letting the glorious heat of the sun shine onto his face. Life had been so much easier since Arthur had found out about his magic and having a big secret actually seemed kind of fun now he was sharing it with his best friend. One thing he knew was that he would never wish the day Arthur discovered his true gifts to be changed; _well… maybe a few details could be forgotten._

* * *

><p>Merlin was bored; tired, bored and hungry. He and Arthur had been walking for over an hour and frankly he was sick of the monotonous movement his feet had been forced to do for such a long amount of time with no rest. "Arthur," Merlin whined in a tone similar to a small child, "Can we please stop for a bit, I'm going to collapse if we walk any further!"<p>

"No!" Was the answer Arthur threw back at his servant, not even turning around to acknowledge the boy. Arthur heard a low groan in reply and he ground his teeth together, looking up to the sky in a silent plead of _give me strength!_

Arthur sharply cut to the left, confusing the boy behind him, before grumpily sitting on a turned over log. Merlin paused briefly, wondering what the prince was doing, but quickly put two and two together and joined his friend on the log. "Thank you," Merlin humbly whispered, but the prince simply crossed his arms and angled his body away from his companion.

"Five minutes, that's all." Arthur muttered firmly but with one glance at the ragged weary boy next to him he sighed in defeat and added, "Fine, fifth teen minutes, but then we really have to continue! It will take us twice as long to return to Camelot on foot since _someone_ lost the horses!"

Merlin bristled at the accusation and shouted, "For the last time I swear I tied them up!"

"Well I don't know who taught you to tie a knot then _Mer_lin because last time I checked, tying something up involves it then staying in the place you left it!" Arthur replied for what seemed the hundredth time that afternoon.

"Oh really? I never knew, thank you for enlighten me on the subject_ sire!_" Merlin finished; the prince's title practically dripping with sarcasm at the end of the sentence.

"You know what Merlin…" Arthur abruptly cut of mid-flow; his hunters hearing noticing the un-natural silence that had descended around them.

Merlin on the other-hand didn't have the prince's skills so didn't notice his sudden lack of speech, "What Arthur! Because you today have been… mphf!" He was smothered mid-sentence by a firm hand over his mouth. His eyes flashed with annoyance at the prince's actions until Arthur threw him a _there's something wrong_ look and signalled him to shut up by raising a finger in front of his mouth.

The warlock's eyes widened before he gave a firm nod and moved towards the prince as they both slowly stood up; manoeuvring until they were standing back to back, both scanning the area for any signs of disturbance. After a couple of minutes of no movement Merlin questioned his friends analysing of the situation and just as he opened his mouth to tell him so the forest suddenly filled with tremendous terrifying cries of war.

The forest was suddenly alive; around twelve bandits where sprinting full speed towards the shocked duo, all holding weapons of some sort, a look of bloodlust in their eyes. Arthur jumped into action, pulling his sword from its holder and pushing Merlin behind him in a protective gesture.

"Merlin, run!" Arthur shouted as he jumped towards the nearest bandit, swinging at the man with all his strength.

But Merlin didn't move and simply stood frozen watching the prince battle a couple of knights single handily; he was in a flurry of confliction, he didn't know what to do! He could feel his magic brimming inside him, urging to be let out and help but Arthur was right in front of him! If he saved Arthur now his secret would be out! _Oh why is this the one moment Arthur chooses not to be unconscious in a fight!_

But as if by a gift of fate, the precise moment the thought ran through Merlin's head one of the bandits lobbed a chunk of wood at the prince and he fell to the forest floor out cold.

"Yes!" Merlin cried in glee, momentarily forgetting the current situation he was in and that he had just shouted in joy at his friend getting knocked out. The bandits who had been focused on Arthur swiftly turned at Merlin's exclamation and stared at him in confusion, before grinning manically and simultaneously started to creep towards him.

"Ah, I _wouldn't _advise going through with your next actions gentlemen." Merlin cheekily suggested to the eleven bandits currently stalking towards him, eleven being because Arthur had already disposed of one during his brief brawl.

"Oh wouldn't you?" One of the bandits, a large man with long mattered hair showered in leaves mockingly questioned.

"No I wouldn't," And with that Merlin let his magic burst to the surface and the nearest five men went flying through the air landing with a sharp crack as they made contact with various trees.

Two of the men stared at their fallen comrades and turned back to Merlin in shock, they staggered backwards in fright before swiftly dropping their weapons and fleeing into the forest. But the rest of the men turned back to Merlin in anger and let out sharp cries, charging towards the boy with their weapons held high.

Merlin was ready for the attack and quickly raised his arm, rapidly muttering under his breath, "_Exuro__metallu__m," _All of the ascending men cried out in pain as their swords burnt in a sharp white glow causing them to drop their weapons. One man was more focused than the rest and as soon as he dropped his sword produced a dagger from his pocket using his un-burnt hand and flung it at Merlin.

Merlin automatically froze the dagger in its tracks with a flash of gold and pushed it back to its thrower, stabbing him in the heart, killing him instantly. Some of the men were up again and one lunged at Merlin with his undamaged fist but Merlin was once again ready, _"__iaculis__ipsum__ligu__." _

Vines on the forest floor suddenly came to life and wrapped themselves around the legs of the assailant, sharply dragging him from the boy until he hit a boulder with a sicken crunch.

But what Merlin wasn't ready for was a sharp blow to the back of his head sending him flying forward, he scrambled onto his back to see a wild man with a severely red and black hand looming over him, holding a now cool sword above his chest. "Now you die boy!" The man spat before plunging the sword down. Merlin's eyes instinctively flashed and suddenly the sword was travelling at twice less the speed. Merlin frantically turned his head, searching for an idea. He spotted it.

"_Pugna__pro__me__," _An abandoned sword flew towards Merlin and blocked the assailing sword just as time reverted back to its original speed. The bandit grunted with surprise as a sword appeared seemingly out of nowhere and proceeded to fight him.

While the man was distracted Merlin lumbered to his feet just as another untamed man swung a block of wood at his head, _"__Convertimini ad__aquam__." _The block of wood became nothing but water and the bandit, shocked by the sudden loss of weight, lost his balance and went stumbling forward, unfortunately right into the path of his fellow thieves sword path.

The bandit who had been swinging said sword at the magical one he was currently fighting cried out in shock at the feeling of flesh against his weapon rather than metal. And due to his brief lack of concentration wasn't able to block the free-lance sword that plunged into his chest and the man fell with a soft thud. The sword retreated from its victims chest and stayed floating in the air as if waiting for another unsuspecting man to kill. Merlin gaze fell to the dead man in a mixture of sympathy and guilt as he raised his hand towards the sword, _"__Lorem ipsum__levari__."_

The sword fell to the floor and lay there un-moving, its work done. Merlin ran a hand through his hair and looked around the clearing, all of the bandits had gone, either they had run away or lay un-breathing among the leaves. Merlin's eyes wetted at the sight of the men he just killed and a couple of guilt driven tears trickled down his face, _it was to protect Arthur, I had no choice._

Merlin sighed at the thought of the prince, _I'd better find him and start making up a story about how he saved me but just can't remember. _He rubbed a hand over his face to rid himself of his tearsbut did chuckle at the thought of Arthur once again taking the glory for a fight that he had no recollection of, but as the sound reverberated from Merlin's mouth a sharp pointed cough sounded from behind him.

Merlin spun around, his magic rising again as he expected to come to the sight of a surviving bandit but the sight before his eyes made his magic flee back to his stomach and the blood in his face to leave with it. There, casually leaning against a tree in all his conscious glory was Arthur Pendragon.

Merlin gaped in shock; his whole body had gone numb. _No, no this isn't how it's supposed to be! Arthur gets knocked out and I unknowingly save the day! That's how it's always been, it can't change now! _ As the reality of what was happening settled in, Merlin stumbled back, naturally shying away from the prince in fear of what he was going to do; _my life's now literally in his hands. _

Arthur slowly pushed himself of the tree and casually, or predatorily in Merlin's panicked mind, walked towards Merlin. Merlin stumbled further and further backwards with each step the prince took until his back hit a tree and Arthur was standing a few mere inches from him. Merlin winced, waiting for the anger, shout of betrayal or even physical abuse. But Arthur simply looked Merlin in the eye and whispered in a defeated voice, "Explain."

A few hours later and the two boys were sitting on opposite sides of a fire; it had turned into night somewhere during Merlin's story and he had produced the fire with a brief weary nod from the prince. The warlock had just finished telling Arthur everything that had transpired over the last couple of years, both the good and the bad; he had decided that if he wanted to gain back his friends trust there wasn't room for anymore lies, so he'd told of how all the times he'd saved Arthur's life as well as all the things he regretted, such as releasing the dragon and poisoning Morgana.

Arthur had remained passively blank throughout the entire monologue; the only times he showed any emotion was when Merlin's voiced had cracked when talking about the death of Freya, his father and all the people he blamed himself for the death of at the dragons rage; the prince hadn't been able to hide the flash of concern and pity at his friends broken tone.

Now Arthur had been sat staring into the flickering flames for the past ten minutes, not making any suggestion that he was going to comment on Merlin's revelation. Despite the fact that Merlin desperately wanted Arthur to say something, _anything_ he sat in silence, too scared to try and start the conversation.

Out of the blue, Arthur suddenly stood up and stared down at Merlin, his face still stonily blank but Merlin could see his tensed hands that were balled into fists so hard the knuckles had turned white and the tightness in his jaw line which both showed the prince's anger.

Merlin prepared for the slaughter but was once again surprised as Arthur calmly stated, "In a moment I am going to say some things because I have no other way of releasing what I'm feeling right now and I need to get past the emotions so we can move on. Please ignore everything I say to you." Merlin's brow burrowed in confusion, _what does that mean…_

"You lied to me!" Arthur's sudden mood change made Merlin literally jump out of his seat and Merlin realised that he unfortunately hadn't escaped the prince's anger, "After everything we've been through you simply lied to me for the past two years! You just killed half a dozen men without barely lifting a finger and you never thought to tell me this information! Do you just not trust me?! Because I would have hoped you did after all the things I've done for you! Was our friendship even real to you? I don't let many people get close to me but somehow you did and I was grateful, but now I find out that the person I thought I knew is a stranger! A sorcerer! Okay fine, I understand your whole explanation of I couldn't help being born a prince and you couldn't help being born with magic but why on earth would you come to Camelot of all places?! Also, so yes you've saved my life but you poisoned my sister! Even if she was meeting with some evil sorceress it seems she was still undecided but I guess now that she's been poison by her friend she'll have switched sides!"

The reflection of the fire cast long dark shadows on the prince's face, making him look even more threatening and frightening than normal, "Then you released a dragon! A dragon! What idiot thinks 'oh look, a dragon who hates Uther with all his big vicious heart but says he won't take revenge, well if I release him then sure, he won't take revenge, he'll just fly away and not hurt anyone who lives in the city he's been held captive in'! Of course that's not how it happens! For goodness sake you can just be so stupid sometimes!"

Arthur finished his rant with a punch to a tree; he collapsed against it in exhaustion, the raw emotions he had just shown taking it out of him. Turning to face where his friend sat stone-still on the floor with a pinched expression from obviously attempting to hold back tears he ran a hand through his hair, confused by this whole situation.

"Merlin," Arthur sighed, cautiously placing himself next to the servant and adopting the stare into the flames, "Look I'm sorry."

Shifting in the leaves he glanced down to his hands, picking at his fingers; he found comforting was always easier when not actually looking at your listener, "I told you to ignore everything I said… but I guess that was a bit of a stupid thing to ask." He cleared his throat, sensing that his friend was indeed taking in his words, "I didn't mean any of that stuff - well apart from you being an idiot." He felt the shoulder marginally brushing his stiffen at the statement.

"No, no," Arthur quickly corrected, "I mean you're an idiot for risking your life for me so much, I can't believe you actually tried to trade your life for my own! Never do that again by the way!" He felt Merlin chuckle at that line, "And you're an idiot for how much you keep to yourself. I don't know what I would do if I lost the woman I love and my father in such a short space of time but I do know that I wouldn't be able to simply carry on so energetically and bubbly as you do and I think that shows how strong you are. Also I now see how brave you are, you had to make a terrifying decision between your friend and Camelot and you did… who am I too judge your decision, it was an impossible one to make, but you did. And you saved everyone! And don't worry, I understand why you didn't tell me of your magic but I want you to know… well, I'd never hand you into my father."

Arthur flicked his gaze to the boy sitting next to him, an open smile on his features, "So I'm sorry for being so hard on you and not appreciating you enough – I just… thank you - for everything."

A few seconds passed of the servant's gaze lingering into the fire; he was at a dis-belief to how quickly the prince had accepted him, he'd even got gratitude – it seemed there was a first time for everything.

Sensing his friend's eyes still assessing him, waiting for a form of acknowledgment Merlin slowly tilted his head and gave the prince a slight nod with the flicker of a smile, "Thank you."

The next morning had been slightly awkward as both boys were quite self-conscious of the emotions shown and wonderments of if the new revelation changed their dynamics or how they would act around one another; however typical as ever Merlin broke through the tense atmosphere with a perfected grace.

Just as they were about to set off the servant walked out of a row of trees back into the clearing, leading two horses who both had long pieces of rope running through their halters that had obviously been cut by a sharp dagger, shooting the shocked prince a wide grin, "I told you I'd tied them up!"

* * *

><p>Merlin saw Arthur talking to a visiting knight who had just eagerly jogged over to talk to the famous prince of Camelot. He could tell even from this distance that his friend was finding the knights speech extremely boring and simply wanted him to leave so he could start to concentrate on the upcoming fight so when the knight turned to respond to a call of his name Merlin caught his friend's eye and gave him a silent thumbs up sign with an exaggerated wink.<p>

Arthur mimed back a sarcastic laugh; then his eyes lit up and he excitedly pointed towards Merlin before gesturing towards the knights back and wiggling his fingers towards the man and signalling a zipper over his own mouth.

The servant laughed at Arthur's casual and childish asking of his magic and he shook his head, holding his hands in front of his body to show the prince was on his own.

Arthur actually pouted back at the warlock and was about to carry on their silent conversation when the knight suddenly turned around and he was forced to hastily revert his expression back to one of sincerity and interest.

Merlin grinned as he moved back towards the barrier, taking a position that showed a good view of the arena so he could watch Arthur's fight. _Yes life is definitely better now that Arthur knows. _

The prince was now walking into the arena and as he stepped past the barrier he quickly glanced back at Merlin, throwing him a quick gesture of his finger slicing over his neck.

Merlin simply grinned back and made a mocking 'okay' symbol in reply, to which the prince simply answered with a roll of his eyes.

_Yes, life is much better._

* * *

><p><em>Thankyou for reading, hope you enjoyed it and please review :) x<em>


	3. White

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer: **Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

* * *

><p><span><strong>White<strong>

* * *

><p>The prince was sat upon his magnificent white horse, a blunt joust with the Pendragon crest painted on the handle in his right hand, held up with ease. The crowd cheered with strong enthusiasm and excitement when they saw their ruler to be as the next fighter; to them the prince looked firmly focused on the fight in hand, his back straight, shoulders braced and his head held up proud.<p>

The truth was completely the opposite of the crowds' assumptions; Arthur was bored. He hated the contest; _the knights just let me win anyway, _and he would much rather be out hunting with Merlin or simply just enjoying some of their common banter. But as a prince Arthur knew how to sit, stand, talk and act as if he was enthralled by whatever activity he had to partake in because of his birth-right.

The only person who could ever see through Arthur's act was his pathetically skinny friend, _not that I'll ever work out how he does, as I for one know that masking my thoughts and emotions is my best and practically perfectly woven skill. _Arthur glanced over to where the boy was placed and for sure, there he was with a smug grin on his face, leaning against the barrier in a very lazy fashion. His friend had been staring in his direction already so when he noticed Arthur look over he gave him a small childish wave of his fingers before miming an over-exaggerated fake yawn and pointed towards the castle and then himself with a mocking questioning look on his face.

As Merlin took a long slow step in the direction of the castle Arthur's eyes threateningly narrowed and he subtly shifted his joust so it was facing in the direction of his snarky servant, giving it a small thrust forwards to get the message across; _if I have to go through this then so do you!_

Merlin's raised foot fell back to the floor and he rolled his eyes with an annoyed sigh, moodily collapsing back against the barrier. Arthur just shook his head in amusement, _drama queen_; Merlin glanced up from under his fringe and poked his tongue at the prince, _and a child._

"…And his opponent, our very own Prince Arthur!" Arthur's head swung back to the arena at the sound of the introductory announcement. He lightly clicked his head to the left and rolled his shoulders, all to give the impression of preparation; he heard the crowd's cheers increase at his apparent bracing, _my people; they'd probably still cheer even if I were to jump down and start dancing like a chicken! _

The flag bearer turned to both knights to check they were ready before slicing the flag down through the air and just as quickly sprinting out of the two nobles' laid-out route. As soon as the flag was dropped Arthur spurred his horse into action with a careful yet forceful kick to its side. The horse broke into a gallop as soon as the prince's foot made contact, a spray of dust showering the stable-boy standing behind the prince's stead.

The horse and rider opposite the prince mirrored the action; both knights gripped their jousts firmly in their hands, their eyes set determinedly on the other as the gap between them quickly decreased.

What happened next was a shock to everyone and it was so quick that Arthur hardly had time to contemplate the consequences of his reaction. A young boy of about three or four years suddenly stumbled into the path of the speedily approaching horses; Arthur reflectively pulled sharply on the reins bringing his startled horse to an abrupt halt just a mere few paces from where the child cowered in fright.

But the prince's sigh of relief at the boy's safety was short-lived as he let out a sharp hiss at the feeling of something in his stomach. He slowly looked down to see a joust jutting out of his front, his pupils dilated with shock at the sight and he glanced up to see his opponent, a visiting knight, staring at him in horror, his hand still wrapped around the handle of the joust that was now embedded in his body.

Arthur felt the energy drain out of him and he proceeded to fall out of the saddle, the joust sliding out of him as he did so, leaving a messy bloody hole under the broken chainmail. _Thump,_ the impact of the prince with the hard ground broke the terrifying surprised silence of the crowd as they tried to piece together what had just happened. High pitched screams and cries pierced the air and shouts of terror and bewilderment backed them up, the King's cry of pain and rage rose above all other noise as he jumped out of the royal box and scrambled next to his injured son.

Gaius appeared in an instance, his box of medicine already in hand; he didn't bother with comforting words to his old friend who was currently mumbling frantic pleas at his son as he stroked his hair, instead he hastily put his old hands over the open wound and applied light pressure to it, analysing the extent of damage. The physician started in disbelief at his conclusion and quickly placed his head over the prince's chest while simultaneously grabbing his wrist to feel his pulse.

"Sire…" Gaius whispered in a broken tone, but the King ignored him, he just continued pleading with his son to stay alive, his son who's eyes were already closed due to life drainage, the only sight of his consciousness being the slight flickering of his eyelids. "Uther," The King looked up to Gaius at his use of name, his eye's begging his friend not to tell him the truth, "He's gone… he barely has minutes left, there's nothing I can do…"

The sound admitted from the King's mouth was so heart-wrenching and broken that it brought tears to the most emotionally detached guard. He pounded the ground with his fist and stormed to his feet, moving with blind vengeance towards a single individual; Gaius fled after his friend with fear of another death.

Merlin was in a catatonic state where he stood; the scene repeating itself in his head as if on a loop. _They're blunt jousts, he can't be injured, it's not possible… _but the small part of Merlin's brain that could still see logic knew this wasn't true. Arthur's sudden stop, with his opponent still riding at full speed meant the force of the blow had been doubled, allowing the wooden weapon to break past the thin layer of chain mail and impale his friend.

Merlin wanted to run to his fallen friend but his body had seemed to have lost all motion, he could only stand and watch as Arthur's father ran to his son, as Gaius followed, as Gaius declared Arthur minutes from death and as Uther let out a screech of such pain Merlin thought it to be the sound of a creature rather than a human.

But only when both elder men left his friend lying on the ground by himself did Merlin's body finally decide to move. Merlin let out a cry and jumped the barrier in a way he would never be able to do in any other circumstance; he slid next to his friend a few seconds later and felt the tears pour down his cheeks. Merlin gently stroked Arthur's hair and held in a sob, "You can't die Arthur, not now, please…" His voice sounded so small and he resembled a lost child clinging for hope. _No, he can't… I won't let him die!_

Merlin hastily wiped his eyes and frantically racked his brain; he could… no, he would save Arthur! He wasn't going to let him die from a stupid blood wound! He could see Arthur's breaths getting shallower and his mental search turned desperate, _I must know something, must of read something… wait! _

It was extremely risky, a combining of two spells he's never practiced individually let alone together! _I have no choice… _Merlin speedily flung one leg over his friend's waist, positioning himself on top of the prince in a very awkward and intimate position if it were any other situation. He slowly leant down, being careful not to put any pressure on the wound, his face getting closer and closer to his friends until he was resting his forehead on Arthur's. Merlin then brought his hands to the side of his friend's head, his fingertips gently brushing the prince's temples.

Merlin took a deep shaky breath, not knowing if either of them would survive his spell… _it's the only option. _"Utriusque virtutis, ut iterum ponere unum," the spell rolled off Merlin's tongue, followed by a flash of gold.

* * *

><p>Merlin opened his eyes and froze in confusion, instead of the unmoving face of his best friend in front of him he was confronting with white. White, everywhere. Merlin ran a hand through his hair, spinning around to try and spot anything at all but alas he was just surrounded by white.<p>

_Am I dead?_ Merlin felt that he should be panicking at this thought, _if I'm dead then so is Arthur_, but for some reason Merlin just _knew_ that he was still alive.

"Merlin!" The rough voice cried out in relief and the owner of the name spun around to see the prince suddenly materialise out of thin air.

"Arthur!" Merlin ran towards his friend and flung himself at the startled blonde, "I'm so sorry, I didn't see it coming and then you were bleeding and I couldn't move and I…" Tears were freely running down the raven-haired boy's face and he buried his head in his friend's chest.

Arthur recovered from the shock of the empty white space surrounding him and he lowered his head to look at the boy desperately clinging to him. "It's not your fault Merlin, you can't blame yourself every time I get hurt, it's just stupid, I'm responsible for my health, not you."

The young warlock seemed to calm with the prince's words and he stepped away from his friend, wiping the tears off his face. "Sorry…oh I messed up your top."

"Don't worry, you can clean it," Arthur smirked at his friend's displeasing expression, "When we find out how to get home from this place." He muttered to himself.

But Merlin heard the prince anyway, "Well I don't have a clue where we are," Merlin replied, returning back to his slow spinning to search the area with his keen eyes.

"Well no change there then," Arthur returned, but he too had no idea what was going on. "Are you sure you didn't do anything?" He questioned, turning to face the still spinning boy.

"Well I did a spell I just made up in the moment to save you but…" Merlin was cut off by Arthur's weary shout, "Merlin! You did an unknown spell and we appear in a strange white world yet you didn't think to mention it!" Arthur couldn't believe his servant's incompetence sometimes.

"Merlin!" The pale boy was still spinning on the spot and gave no indication he had listen to Arthur at all, "Merlin!" Arthur gritted his teeth in frustration, "For goodness sake Merlin, stop spinning!" He grabbed his friend's scrawny shoulders and held him in place. "That's better," Merlin rolled his eyes and shrugged Arthur's arms off but did remain standing still, facing the prince.

"Right, so this spell, what did…" But Arthur's trail of thought suddenly reached a new point, "Wait! You did a spell! As in magic! In front of the whole of Camelot! In front of my father!" His voice hit a higher tone in his panic.

Merlin simply let out a deep sigh, "Yes Arthur, I did magic in front of everyone, but I had no choice! Besides you're father wasn't physically beside you when I did so, so maybe he didn't notice?" Merlin ended the sentence in a question, doubtful of what he was telling the prince.

Arthur gave him a disbelieving look, also not buying his friend's weak excuse, "Sure, because my father defiantly wouldn't notice my servant standing over me muttering a spell." He sarcastically jibed.

"Actually, I was more sitting on you…" Merlin's voice was weak with embarrassment at the remembrance of the position he'd put himself on the prince.

Arthur actually spluttered at his friend's comment, "You… what, you sat on me!"

Merlin shot him a defensive glare, "I was saving your life - there were more important things on my mind than my seating arrangement!"

Arthur gave him that, he wouldn't be concentrating on many things if Merlin had been severely injured either. "Okay, fine. But back to the whole performing magic in front of everyone! What are we going to do when…" The prince trailed off as he noticed his friend was shivering. "Merlin, are you cold?"

Merlin cocked his head in confusion but the action looked jerky to Arthur, "No, I don't think there is a temperature here. Why?" Arthur brought his hands to his face and roughly wiped his eyes, but it made no difference, Merlin's form was just not staying still.

"You're moving, or shivering, I can't focus on you." Arthur stepped towards his friend and put his hand out to grab his arm, but his fingers touched nothing but air. Both boys cried out in shock and jumped apart.

"What!" Merlin brought his hand to his face and stared at the flesh, _what on earth… _Merlin caught Arthur's eye through his hand neither knowing what was happening… _wait! Looking at Arthur through my hand! _

Arthur seemed to notice Merlin's vanishing act at the same time as there was a simultaneous cry of, "You're disappearing!", "I'm disappearing!"

Arthur could do nothing but watch his friend fade before his eyes, the last thing he saw was Merlin's frightened expression. "No!" Arthur finally moved but ended up lunging at thin air. _He's gone… I'm alone…_

Arthur frantically spun, copying Merlin's earlier actions, he raised his arms in a begging gesture, but as he's hands passed his face on their descent back down a change in their feature caught his eye. _No… I can see through my hand!_

Arthur scanned his body and took in the fact that he was following Merlin's act, _well whatever's happening, Merlin should be wherever we end up. _And with this vaguely comforting thought Arthur closed his eyes and felt a tingling magnify throughout his entire body, until there was nothing.

* * *

><p>Two sets of blue eyes flew open, both taking in the sudden appearance of their friend once again. Arthur jolted into an upright position at the shock of Merlin's face just inches from his own. But the action didn't achieve anything, instead just left both boys still leaning against each other's foreheads, Merlin still sitting on his waist.<p>

Arthur took in the sight of the arena out of the corner of his eye; the vibrant red and gold colours were a reassuring contrast to the emptiness of the white. He let out a shaky laugh at the sight of the blunt weapon that almost killed him lying innocently by his side_; I guess when I told Merlin the joust was still dangerous I was telling the truth! _

Merlin let out a drained laugh; _well I did warn you to be careful! _The two friends sat there shallowly laughing, feeling the hot breath of the other tickling their cheeks.

Their laughter suddenly ceased as something clicked in both of their minds and blue eyes met blue eyes as they both glanced up; shock present in both gazes.

_I didn't say that out loud_, Arthur slowly thought. Merlin's eyes widen at the comment and Arthur heard the reply in his own head, _neither did I!_

But the boys' new revelation was shattered by the furious and pain ridden voice of Uther Pendragon, "Guards! Seize the boy!"

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed it, please review :) x<em>


	4. A Touch

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer: **Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Touch<strong>

* * *

><p>"Guards! Seize the boy!"<p>

The blonde and the brunettes' eyes dilated with terror and they whipped their heads around; awaiting the sight of the furious King striding towards them but instead finding no such thing.

The King was indeed furiously striding, but towards the young boy who had untimely stumbled in front of the prince's horse. The child was cowering behind a women dressed in faded rough clothe who was assumed to be the boy's mother; the nearby guards were throwing looks at each other, unsure wherever to follow their King's command considering the state and age of the potential prisoner in question.

In his relief and disbelief of not being caught performing magic before the whole of Camelot Merlin let out a loud cheer, his mouth snapped shut as soon as the noise left his mouth, realising he shouldn't be drawing attention to himself. _You think_, Arthur's sarcastic voice drawled in his mind.

But Merlin's cheer had drawn some of the grieving crowd's attention and one by one shocked gasps were released, creating a Mexican wave of surprise.

"Your majesty! Sire! He's alive! Sire your son's alive!" The cries magnified as more people turned to see their prince sitting up alive and well; ignoring the fact that his servant was involved in the 'sitting' procedure.

Uther had reached the young sandy locked boy and his hand was mid-flow of hitting the child across his tear stained face when his hand froze in mid-air, as if caught by the shouts of his son's survival.

Uther spun around to where he'd left his son's body; the few seconds Uther took to turn, Arthur took to shove Merlin off his lap; who went sprawling into the dirt, giving his face more colour than it had ever had.

"Ow." Merlin grumbled to himself but didn't dwell on his annoyance of being shoved and shot a glance towards the approaching King and then back towards his friend. But as his eyes retraced his friends form Merlin realised an important detail, "Arthur! Your wound!" He frantically hissed through his teeth.

Arthur switched his gaze from his father to his servant and tilted his head in confusion but looked down to where Merlin eyes were boring into him, _my wound! It's fully healed! _

Just as Uther took the last haste pace towards his son Arthur clung to his side in apparent agony and fell back onto the ground, screwing his face up in pain. _Don't want to be explaining why he's fully healed_, Merlin thought, _knowing my luck he'd blame me! _

Merlin watched Arthur as his father leant over him, re-joyfully telling him how he was glad he was alive, begging him to stay alive this time and speedily gesturing Gaius over who had only just reached where Uther had been about to strike the child, his age not making him the quickest.

The young warlock was waiting to hear a witty insult in his head from his friend, it seemed they could hear the others thoughts somehow and despite Merlin's anger at the coming lack of privacy it was useful for communication. But nothing was sounding within his head apart from his own thoughts, _Arthur… Arthur, talk to me, well don't talk to me; think to me… are you alright? Arthur!_

There was no response, Arthur simply continued withering in fake pain and mutter comforting words to his father as Gaius, who had finally reached his patient, examined him. _He can't hear me! It must have been a temporary side effect, or my imagination. _Merlin was relieved by the knowledge of his mind being protected but at the same time he was strangely upset by the notation.

"Don't worry father, its fine, Gaius will sort me out, calm down." Arthur mumbled to his father, repeating the same sentences over and over again to attempt to calm the highly-strung man. _But at least this behaviours better than him trying to kill Merlin_. Arthur mentally slapped himself as the thought formed in his mind; he didn't want his friend getting smug at the knowledge of his care for him. But as he waited for a mocking comment to his slip up he got none; _Merlin?_ There was no reply and when Arthur cracked open his eyes slightly to look at his friend he saw him kneeling in the dirt, staring right back at him with a searching expression on his face,_ but I heard him, I heard Merlin's thoughts! _

Uther signalled some of his knights over as Gaius claimed he couldn't treat the prince on the arena; in truth, Arthur had shot Gaius a death glare when he attempted to examine his wound and the physician had guessed that his ward had something to do with the prince's recovery and therefore wanted Arthur in secluded area, hopefully away from his magic hating father.

* * *

><p>Merlin impatiently paced outside the prince's chambers; the two guards placed stiffly outside the door were refusing him entry! He'd tried the 'I'm the prince's servant' excuse and the 'I'm the physician's ward', he'd even tried 'the prince will want me with him', but nothing would budge the obedient guards.<p>

So the anxious warlock was reduced to pacing, every minute or two he'd run a hand through his messy hair and follow the action with a kick at the nearest stone pillar. Merlin threw his latest kick too forcefully and a sharp pain shot up his leg, "Argh! Stupid stone!" He slid his back down against the wall and took his foot into his hands, slowly cradling it as if to nurture the pain away.

_Arthur you prat, you're fine, just tell your father to let me in! _Merlin signed in defeat when no answer came, which was what he'd expected. The warlock knew that the whole reading each other's thoughts must have been a brief side effect but he actually felt a bit lost without the knowledge of the bizarre connection. It had been there for a very short amount of time yet somehow Merlin felt that something was _still_ there, lingering around him and he needed to talk to Arthur to work everything out.

There was a sudden large crash from inside Arthur's room and Merlin jumped to his feet, running towards the large oak door, "Arthur?!"

One of the guards slid his spear in the boy's path just as he reached the door, "You can't enter, King's orders." The man's voice was tight with the frustration of having to keep repeating himself to the frantic servant, "If you would just wait…" But the guard was cut off as the huge wooden door was flung open and the King stormed out of the room, not even sparing a glance at any of the men in front of him, the startled men simply scurried out of the King's path.

"You will inform me when he wakes Gaius!" The mighty voice shouted back without the man even halting to deliver his order. While the guards were distracted by the sudden appearance of their leader, the warlock quickly slipped past them and made his way into the open room; as he was gently closing the door one of the guards spotted him and turned on him in fury at being duped, "Hey! What do you think you're doing! Get out of that room!"

The guard and his companion both speedily marched towards the disobedient servant but just as they reached the threshold to the chambers Merlin quickly closed the doors; leaving only a tiny gap in the middle for him to peek out of. He eyed the two guards before letting out an apologetic sigh and saying, "Sorry guys, nobody's allowed to enter, King's orders!" And with a cheeky wink, he slammed the doors in their reddening faces.

* * *

><p>The prince lay in his silken bed, his body was twisted to the side in an awkward position and his face was twisted in pain; he even had a few beads of sweat sitting on his forehead. Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes at Gaius who gave him a stern look and tedious raise of the eyebrow in return, <em>he'll be giving me a using magic responsibly talk later. <em>The warlock's guardian unconcernedly slipped out of the room to continue with his duties, now that he didn't have to pretend to be treating the prince, but also because he probably expected the two boys had matters to discuss.

Merlin folded his arms and stared at the still prince, who honestly did look in like he was in a mid-painful sleep; it seemed the royal was a good actor when need be, but Merlin knew the truth, "Stop being such a wimp, your heir to the throne for goodness sake!"

Arthur's eyes snapped open at his friends insult and he huffily replied, "I wasn't sure if my father had fully gone, it's hard to tell with your eyes closed!" As he spoke he flung the heavy covers off his body and brought his legs up to rest in a crossed-legged posture, the change from patient to annoyed boy a very quick one.

Merlin automatically walked over to pick up the crumpled duvet now lying in a heap on the floor, "Fully gone? How can you be fully gone if you can't be partly gone? Because to be partly gone you'd have to leave a leg somewhere or maybe an arm and I doubt that's possible."

Merlin attempted to straighten out the duvet on the bed but his friend was creating an obstacle and didn't move despite the fact Merlin obviously wanted him to. So instead he grabbed Arthur's leg and pushed him onto his back to place the duvet under him, ignoring Arthur's cry of protest; and that's when his mind had a visitor once again. _Idiot, just moving me like I'm some little toy on the bed! _

Merlin froze when the familiar voice wove back into his head, leaving the prince in an uncomfortable position on his back as Merlin tightened his grip on his leg, locking his movement. His mind was blank; all he could focus on was the invasion in his head; _what's he doing? Ooh bloods rushing to my head! _

"Merlin what are you doing?! Bloods rushing to my head!" Arthur angrily repeated the words he had just thought, twisting his leg to try and release it from the boy's death grip.

_I know Arthur, you just thought it…_ The prince stopped moving instantly, he slowly curved his body to the left so he could see his manservant leaning on the bed in front of him, his eyes dilated in shock; _what? _

Arthur reflectively kicked his friend away from him, breaking the warlocks grip and throwing him onto the floor by the fireplace; Merlin didn't utter a complaint, he just stared at the blonde boy sitting in shock on the bed.

The prince turned his head to look at his friend now sprawled on the hard floor, _sorry Merlin. _He instinctively thought, but his friends expression didn't change, there was no recollection of him hearing his apology. _Merlin? _

"Oh for goodness sake! Did you not hear my apology Merlin?!" Arthur snapped at the pale boy, his confusion of the situation controlling his mood. Merlin tilted his head at the angry blonde, "You didn't apologise." He stated in a confused tone.

Arthur jumped off his bed and marched towards his friend, "Yes I did! I thought it! And we seem to be able to hear each other's thoughts, so why didn't you…" As he ranted at his friend he leant down and grabbed his hand to pull him up, _hear my apology? _

As soon as the boys made contact with the other, Merlin heard the end of the sentence in both his ears and his head. They simultaneously looked down at their joined hands and a flash of understanding sparked in their eyes. _Think something_, Arthur's mental voice commanded.

_Like what?_ Came Merlin's reply; the boys lifted their heads to look back at each other; neither understanding how the situation was possible. Arthur made the first movement, he slowly released his friend's hand and Merlin's fell to his side with the lack of support.

_Can you hear me now?_ Arthur thought, searching his friends face for any recognition. Merlin glanced down at his hand and then Arthur's, whispering, "I can't hear you now."

Arthur spun away from his friend and paced to the other side of the room, frantically running his hands through his hair, "Right, Right, okay. So, we can hear each other's thoughts, but apparently only when we touch, so that's a good point I guess, but we're normally in contact somehow, somebody will notice and then they'll tell my father and then you'll get blamed and killed…"

The increasingly hysterical self-speech broke Merlin from his current shock and he ran over to his friend, grabbing his arms to hold him in place. _Arthur. Listen to me; it's going to be fine. _

Arthur threw his gaze to the boy in front of him, obviously clinging to his words for reassurance, so Merlin took this as a sign to continue. _Your father's not really the most observant person; I doubt he'll notice this… connection between us and even if he does we can blame it on a non-existent sorcerer somewhere; so calm down! _

Merlin felt Arthur's breathing soften as he spoke… or thought and he heard his friend's voice, he could even tell it was a weary tone, reply, _yeah, sorry. I just got a bit crazy there._

_When are you not crazy? _Merlin jibed and Arthur threw him a non-amused look.

_Ha, ha. Anyway, now that we've worked out that when we touch we can hear each other's thoughts, what now?_

Merlin gave a small shrug of his shoulders, _I'm not sure; I guess we'll just have to deal with it._

_That's it? That's the mighty Emyrs' plan; just deal with it! _Even in his head Arthur could really shout, Merlin shut his eyes to try and dampen the noise, _at least when he shouts out loud I can ignore him._

_Hey! I can hear you! _

Merlin cracked open one eye to see Arthur staring at him accusingly, _well then stop listening! _

But neither boy went to let go of the other, _this is to do with the spell you did isn't it. The spell that obviously healed my stab wound; that's powerful isn't it? I mean I don't know much about magic but healing a wound that fatal must have been big. _Arthur's voice wasn't alleging, simply curious. Merlin gave a mental nod, but how Arthur could tell that's what it was was beyond him.

_Yeah it was; to be honest it would have been easier if it had left some form of scar as you'll have to be careful nobody sees your side due to the lack of marking. And with the spell, well I'd say it's safe to assume it caused this, I bring you back from the brink of death and we can hear each other's thoughts, that explanation is more logical than blaming it on some bad sausages._

Arthur laughed at his friend's common randomness, _well I wasn't planning to blame it on the food but now you mention it…_

_I knew the cook didn't like you, she probably thinks having my mind joined to yours will straighten you out._

Arthur gave a gentle kick to Merlin's shin; _I don't need straightening out, beside the cook loves me!_

_She likes me more!_

_No, I'm the prince so she likes me more!_

_That's just because of your title, it doesn't count!_

_Yes it does!_

_Does not!_

_Does too!_

_Does not!_

_Does too!_

_Does…_

One of the guards suddenly very dramatically barged into the room and in reaction Arthur collapsed into Merlin's arms, switching back to the role of the prince at deaths doorstep.

_Umpf! Arthur you need to eat less! _Merlin staggered under his friend's weight, his legs sliding apart as his balance left him.

"What are you doing boy! The prince is supposed to be resting! You don't just drag him around!" The furious guard with a grudge stormed towards him, _Arthur, this would be a nice time for you to play consciousness!_

_You called me fat; again!_ Merlin rolled his eyes at his friend's childish tone.

_Well I'm sorry! Now move your butt! _

The guard was an arm's length away from Merlin when the prince 'stirred' and murmured in a slurred manner, "Mer… told you…I want…go hunt…"

The guard paused at the sound of his prince and Merlin took the opportunity, "Do you really think I'd have him wandering around in this condition! He clamoured out by himself! Now go and do your job and leave me to do mine!" He finished in a firm whisper.

Both the guard and the prince form that matter were taken back by the convincing authority in Merlin's tone, _why don't you just take my entitlement if you're going to order my knights about._ Arthur's sarcastic language commented.

Merlin laughed at his friend's remark and the guard took a step away from him, confused by the strange change in mood. _Nah, I'm not really prat material_, he thought, temporarily forgetting the man before him was waiting for some form of answer or explanation for his laughter. The guard's eyes flickered nervously at the boy's lack of movement, as if he had forgotten he was even in the room, so he let out a pointed cough.

Merlin snapped back to the spoken world and looked at the guard in confusion, as if wondering why he was still in the room, "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that, but could you please leave." He apologetically asked.

The guard gave a curt nod and quickly retreated from the room, not wanting to spend any more time in the same area as the unstable servant.

Both boys watched the guard's hasty retreat and as the door snapped shut Arthur pushed himself away from Merlin's arms, but still leaving a hand resting on his shoulder.

_Well we know one thing;_ Merlin's thought broke through Arthur's silence.

Arthur threw him a questioning look along with the thought, _and what is that?_

Merlin smirked at his friend; _the cook definitely likes you more than him!_

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please review :) x<em>


	5. New Additions

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer:** Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

* * *

><p><strong><span>New Additions<span>**

* * *

><p>The gentle sounds of Camelot's lower town stirring and starting to adjust to another hard-working day trickled through the young manservants open window. The skinny boy was indifferent to the noise filling his cupboard sized room; he lay deep in the depths of dreams, a peaceful wisp of air rhythmically leaving his partially open mouth.<p>

"Merlin!" The booming croaky shout shattered the tranquil atmosphere but the name's owner only indicated hearing the shout by letting out a small groan and rolling onto his side; clinging onto the thin blanket as if it could shield him from the prospect of waking up.

"Merlin! You should have been up hours ago! I leave you for three days and this is what happens! The prince will be waiting!" The old anger-ridden voice was approaching the small door and Merlin wearily opened his eyes knowing that his luxury lie-ins were officially over.

Gaius hadn't been present in the chambers for the past three days due to the King's worry for his son's health; the elderly physician had been forced to spend his time in a hard wooden cot temporarily placed in the prince's room. Arthur, to be fair on his part had tried to reason with his father but unfortunately there's only so much a man who's supposed to be unconscious can do. So Gaius had been taking constant care of a patient who was perfectly healthy from a bed that was older than his own bones and this hadn't done anything for his patience or mood.

"Sorry… coming," He drawled, his sentence ending in a yawn as he slowly lifted himself onto the edge of the bed, tiredly running his hands through his hair and dragging them down over his face; giving the boy a complete 'befuddled morning' look.

The vaguely formed words were enough for Gaius to retreat back to his work bench rather than enter his ward's mess of a room; a faint grunt of pain travelled under the door with each step he took along with a mutter of, "Ooh, my back."

Merlin gave a small sympathetic chuckle at his guardian's unfortunate situation. Although he also couldn't help feeling a bit guilty as well since it was him who had healed Arthur in a way that Gaius couldn't weave a plausible excuse for the King; but then he realised that thought was stupid as he'd done the spell to save his friend's life and didn't see how he had to apologise for that action!

_Uh… the spell._ Merlin roughly scrubbed his hair in a gesture to clear his head; but all it did was leave his hair resembling a poorly built bird's nest. The spur of the moment spell he had conducted for Arthur's sake thankfully hadn't caused much trouble. The two boys took to the situation of sharing thoughts very quickly and when Merlin cast his mind over the three previous days he actually couldn't remember the last conversation they had shared out loud.

But the warlock knew that this day was the official start of the 'Don't Reveal Our Connection So Merlin Doesn't Get Killed' plan; or how so the eccentric young servant had named it in his mind. So far the friends had been able to telepathically communicate freely as nobody had been present, but today Gaius had managed to convince Uther that Arthur was completely recovered and able to continue his duties; the latter instruction on Arthur's order as he was going insane stuck in his room.

Merlin forcibly pushed himself off his bed and lazily switched his shabby night wear for his shabby customary blue tunic, brown jacket and dark trousers. He reached for where he kept his red neckerchief but found himself grasping thin air. Letting out an annoyed sigh he fell to his knees and started to crawl around the floor searching for his faithful accessory.

His floor patting brought the magic book that he was supposed to keep under the floor board to his attention. When his hand brushed the fine leather bind a memory flashed through his head and Merlin silently cursed, he knew he'd forgotten to do something.

* * *

><p><em>We can't just use your 'deal with it' plan; we'll have to actually do something you realise.<em> The bewildered guard had just left the room and Arthur stood over his friend who had collapsed onto the royal bed; one hand resting on the boy's shoulder.

Merlin's eyes flickered open and he looked up at the prince from under his eyelashes; _and by we, you mean me._

Arthur threw him a grin, _you know me too well Merlin. So yeah, since I'll be busy here recuperating it's going to be down to you to look through your wizard book and find out what you've done to us._

The warlock rolled his eyes back into his head and gently pinched the bridge of his nose; _firstly you're fine so you won't be doing any form of recuperating, you'll just be acting your usual lazy self but getting sympathy for it. Secondly it's a sorcery book! Not a wizard! And thirdly I saved your life! It's not my fault if the side effects are a bit strange, or in the case of being connected to your mind, annoying!_

The blonde man thoughtfully nodded at his friend's speech, seemingly taking in every word and carefully analysing it; _so you admit it's your fault?_

Merlin let out an exasperated sigh and flung his hands into the air before letting them clumsily bounce back onto the bed, _fine, I'll do some research!_

* * *

><p>Merlin grumpily flung the book back under the loose floor board; he had completely forgotten to do any research! As the connection hadn't been causing any problems it had fallen to the back of his mind; Merlin was used to only researching when he had a short time limit leading to someone's death; the pressure normally got him working.<p>

The newly found neckerchief was being positioned around its familiar neck by Merlin's nimble fingers as he nudged the door open with his elbow, still grumbling to himself about his forgetfulness. "Morning Gaius… ugh." A sweep of fatigue suddenly clouded over the young warlock and he had the sudden urge to go back to bed and sleep despite the fact he'd had more consecutive sleep in the past few days than in his entire life.

"Are you alright m'boy?" Gaius had turned at his ward's greeting and a concerned eyebrow was raised as the boy paused mid-pace on the top step.

"Hmm… what, yeah…" Merlin shook his head and the dazed feeling disappeared, "Just…tired."

"Well that will be because your body's got used to your late mornings! Just because I wasn't here didn't mean you had permission to turn lazy!" The concern melted away as quickly as it had arrived and Gaius preached his ward while shuffling to fetch their bowls of breakfast, slamming them down on the wooden table before more gently placing himself on the wooden bench.

"Well you'd think that saving the prince's life with magic in front of the whole of Camelot and getting away with it deserves a bit of extra sleep." Merlin mumbled, placing himself opposite the physician and starting to dig through his food.

"Ah yes, your magic display…" Gaius dropped his spoon back into the bowl and clasped his hands together, staring straight at Merlin. The young servant mentally winced, he shouldn't have mentioned the incident; he really didn't want another 'use magic responsibly' lecture.

Gaius waited for Merlin to start rambling apologies but it seemed this time he'd decided to try the 'don't say anything' approach.

"So Arthur's told me mostly what happened since the boy had nothing else to do except talk to myself for the past few days, but I'd like your version as well please." Gaius once again had his eyebrow raised; waiting for Merlin's explanation.

Merlin glanced up from his small bowl of porridge, he knew this was where he was supposed to fill Gaius in on everything but himself and Arthur hadn't discussed wherever to tell Gaius about the connection so Merlin was unsure on how much he should tell his guardian.

"Well… I basically remembered two different spells and combined them, then Arthur's wound was healed, Uther didn't beat up a little child and I got three days extra sleep." Merlin told Gaius his short account as calmly and lightly as possible, not wanting to cause any suspicion to the fact he was leaving a _lot _untold.

Gaius stayed staring at Merlin for a few minutes as the boy resumed eating his porridge; very aware of the gaze scorching his face but he refused to break. Just as Merlin could feel the confession tingling on his tongue Gaius warmly smiled and his posture relaxed, "Yes, that's basically what Arthur told me as well."

Merlin let out a silent sigh of relief, glad that he'd correctly assumed Arthur wouldn't have told Gaius about the connection, but he felt the uncomfortable tingle of guilt fizz in the bottom of his stomach for lying to his guardian.

"Yes, well he was there too." Merlin weakly laughed, Gaius responded with a simple nod, obviously not sensing his ward's unwanted emotions.

"Speaking of the prince's whereabouts, you'd better go find out where he is; he'll have escaped his room as soon as his father let him." Gaius off-handily advised.

"He's on the lower court yard by the stables." Merlin's answer was instance and confident; until he realised he had no idea how he knew that information and choked down a lump of porridge the wrong way, causing his eyes to water.

Gaius raised his head suspiciously, "And how do you know that, you've only just left your bedroom."

His mild choking incident gave him a few glorious seconds to invent a quick cover, "Hmm, oh just a guess. After being locked up for so long the horses are probably the first thing he wants to check on."

Gaius luckily seemed to accept Merlin's reasoning and gave a small hum of agreement before collecting the two empty food bowls and moving over to one of the work benches. "Well you'd better go and see if you're right, I doubt Arthur will excuse your tardiness simply because it's his first day up and about."

Merlin smirked at this fact and quickly moved to the door, gently squeezing Gaius' shoulder as he passed as a form of farewell, "You're probably right, see you later Gaius!"

* * *

><p>Arthur stood on the lower court yard by the stables; discussing his steads condition after the fright she took during the tournament with one of the stable boys.<p>

"Have you had her fully checked? I can't have my finest horse injured in any way." Arthur sternly yet softly questioned the boy as holding a conversation with the prince was obviously intimidating the poor lad quite a bit.

The short, mud brown haired boy nervously wrung his dusty freckled hands, staring at the cobbled floor as he addressed the heir to the throne, "Yes sire, we completed a full body check, twice actually sire, and then we polished the front hooves as they had taken a few scratches, also we…"

But Arthur had cut off the boys report as he felt a familiar presence behind him, "Merlin! You're late!" The prince swung around to indeed see his servant standing on the top court yard step, a mystified look on his face. Arthur light heartedly marched towards his friend, completely forgetting about the small stable boy left standing by himself, his mouth still hung open mid-sentence and his brow burrowed in confusion at the prince's ability to somehow sense his servant's presence.

Arthur caught his friends arm when he reached him and guided him back into the castle, _why are you so late? It's my first day outside!_

Merlin ignored his friend's whine and threw him a serious look; _I think there's something else to our connection. _

Arthur's step faltered but he regained his momentum and continued striding pointlessly down various corridors; taking Merlin with him. _What do you mean?_

Merlin let out a controlled sigh before he launched into his theory; _this morning I was talking to Gaius when…_

_You talked to Gaius! Did you tell him about the connection?_ Arthur hastily interrupted.

Merlin glared at him before curtly answering, _no I didn't tell him so don't worry. Now can you let me finish?_

Arthur at least had the decency to look slightly sheepish, _yeah, sorry._

Merlin sighed before continuing, _so, yeah, I was with Gaius and he asked where you were and somehow I knew straightaway. It wasn't until I told him the information that I realised there was no possible way I could have known where you were; I hadn't even left the chambers yet! Also just back there on the court yard, you called to me before you actually saw me. I was all the way by the steps, there's no way you could have heard me._

Arthur had his head tilted fractionally to the left and he was gently biting on his lower lip as he pondered his friend's thoughts, _that's true, I didn't think about it in the moment, but now I'm looking back, I sort of just knew you were there as if…_

…_you could feel my presence. Yeah that's the same with me, it's like I could just feel where you were, I just knew what you were doing. It seems that we can't just hear each other's thoughts; we can also sense each other's presence! _ Merlin hurriedly added, feeling happy that they were finally getting somewhere with the whole connection thing.

The prince lightly grinned at his friend's happiness for the situation; _yes well this is a positive finding… now you can't hide from me so you can get twice as much work done!_

Arthur outwardly laughed as he felt the sudden deflation in his servant's mood; he pulled his pouting servant around the corner pillar but a young maid happen to be walking around the corner at the same time from the opposite direction.

The strawberry blonde haired maid noticed the duo luckily just before she ran into them, her tower of blankets obstructing her view a little bit. She embarrassedly flushed her apologies to the prince but he just gently waved her off, his gaze not fully settled on her but instead flickering to the boy next to him.

The maid stood where she was for a few seconds, expecting the prince or his servant to allow her to pass between the two of them, but it seemed the prince had no intention of releasing his servants arm. The young maid blushed at the realisation and silently weaved around the prince; when she looked back it seemed that neither man had even acknowledged her presence, they were just wound up in each other, laughing at some unheard joke.

* * *

><p>"What is it you wished to ask me sire?" A young brown eyed servant humbly asked the prince, his hands lightly clasped behind his back and his head tilted towards the ground as a sign of respect.<p>

Arthur smiled at the well-mannered servant, with Merlin serving him for so long he'd forgotten how servants were supposed to act around him. "My father has requested a report on the proceedings of the coming banquet so I need you to give _me_ the report to relay back to him."

The servant gave a small nod and raised his head to address the prince, "Do you wish to hear the food arrangement as well sire?" The boy formally questioned.

"Yes," Arthur replied, the only sign that listening to a long list of food for visiting nobles was not something he wanted to spend time doing was a blink that lasted a bit too long; but the servant didn't notice this. "The cook informed me that there was going to be a change in the arrangements from previous feasts – you stupid boy, why would I ask for a list if it was just going to be the same?!"

Arthur fumbled back a few steps in shock at his sudden out-burst; his calm sentence had dramatically turned into one of heavy anger as a sudden blanket of rage had overcome him, yet the vicious emotion had disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived.

The frightened young servant stood cowering before the prince, unsure what had just happened to cause the man to shout at him so furiously, "S…sire?" The poor boy stuttered warily.

Arthur snapped his confused gaze back to the boy and he shakily ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry, sorry… um a tough day I suppose." He weakly apologised with a shaky laugh, "Um… I'll get the report later." And with that the prince spun on his heel and practically sprinted away, leaving a servant standing in bewilderment and fright in the middle of an empty corridor; he had an unexplained urge to have to go and see Merlin.

* * *

><p>The prince of Camelot burst into the physician's chambers in a very undignified manner, tripping over his own feet and bundling into a heap on the floor in his haste to get to his friend.<p>

The man's startling yet dramatic entrance froze Merlin in his position of bending down to pick up a broken glass cylinder, he raised an eyebrow and a smirk crawled onto his face at the sight of his friend in a messy heap on the dusty floor.

"Can I get you something Arthur? A broom perhaps?" Merlin amusedly asked, straightening himself up to then lean against the workbench, his arms folded as he observed the prince.

Arthur ignored the opening to another one of their common banters and instead frantically scrambled to his feet, not even bothering to dust himself off, "Merlin something just happened, I… what did you do to your hand?" Arthur's manic tone switched to one of concern as he took in his friend's left hand; which was newly cut open at the palm and lightly bleeding onto the floor.

Merlin took a second to follow Arthur's tangent of speech and glanced to his injured hand, "Oh, yeah, I just cut it on a cylinder, which I then proceeded to drop." The young servant casually replied, nodding to the floor to draw attention to the shards of glass spread across the floor boards.

But Arthur had already moved towards his friend and grabbed the bleeding hand in his own, pulling it to his face as if examining it. _Did you feel angry when you cut your hand?_

Merlin had become used to the feeling of Arthur's mind suddenly connecting to his own and didn't bat an eyelash at the voice in his mind, yet was confused to why his friend was analysing his hand so intensely, _um, well I guess. I didn't feel a burst of happiness when a sharp object cut into my flesh at least._

Arthur rolled his eyes at his friend's sarcasm, _yes but did you feel angry? Even if it was just brief you did feel some anger._

_Yes…_ Merlin slowly drew out, confused at Arthur's frantic interest in his emotions.

_Well that explains it then_, Arthur decidedly thought as he reached to grab a nearby scrap of cloth and started to gently wind it around his friends cut to lower the bleeding.

_Explains what? Arthur you're making even less sense than usual!_ The young warlock frustratingly commented, grateful for the treatment to his hand but not for the unexplained questionnaire.

Arthur tied off the cloth and collapsed onto the wooden bench behind him, keeping a gentle hold of Merlin's hand, _just then, before I came here, I was talking to a servant…_

_Which servant?_ Merlin interrupted.

Arthur shot him an annoyed yet puzzled look, _is it really important?_

_Well servants do have names; I think it's polite to address them as so._ Merlin condescendingly replied.

_Oh for goodness sake, I don't know the boy's name, he had dark brown eyes and was very respectful unlike some people! Anyway, so I was talking to him…_

_Rupert,_ Merlin lightly added from his outstanding knowledge of names.

Arthur came close to letting out a small growl of annoyance_, fine! I was talking to Rupert when I suddenly shouted at him out of the blue! I was in mid-sentence yet a wave of anger just came over me and now that I see you've only just cut your hand I think…_

… _that we can feel each other's emotions when we're not touching,_ Merlin finished. _But I assumed the whole connection thing had to do with being in contact, I mean we can feel each other's emotions now but when we're apart?_

Arthur sighed, _well we worked out we can feel each other's presence when we're apart so why not emotions as well. Did you find anything mentioning emotions in your book?_

Merlin lowered his gaze to the floor and lightly scratched his ear in embarrassment, _yeah, well about that, see I haven't really looked through the book per se._

Arthur sent a withering look in his friend's direction, _so you've done nothing about this connection for the past three days despite the fact you haven't been on duty for me ._

_I was doing tasks for Gaius!_ Merlin weakly excused.

_Wow! And you didn't have time to read a simple book, you're useless sometimes you know that Merlin._

_Yes I know, you remind me every day,_ Merlin wearily commented.

Arthur just gave a small shake of his head,_ well then as we have no facts available, using logic I'm guessing it's only strong emotions that actually cause the other to take on the same emotion, otherwise we'd have been extremely messed up the past few days!_

Merlin rubbed a hand over his face in irritation, the connection was starting to become a pain with all its new additions; _this thing just keeps getting easier, now I'm going to have to deal with feeling your pratty mood swings every day!_

Arthur gave his friend a light kick in the shins; _yeah well I'll have to put up with your unrealistically bubbly moods!_

_My moods aren't bubbly! They're… uplifting._ Merlin retaliated, slipping into the atmospheric change of the previously serious conversation.

Arthur rolled his eyes and lay his head back to face the ceiling, _well then if you're so uplifting you can go and start lifting my armour from my room to the armoury._

Merlin glared daggers at his friend, _prat!_ He shot before snatching his hand out of the prince's grasp and storming out of the room to go and fulfil his new chore.

Arthur smirked as he felt his friend's grumpiness and let out a barking laugh as the annoyed voice flew back into the room, "And that was a rubbish pun!"

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please review :) x<em>


	6. Servant

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer: **Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

* * *

><p><span><strong>Servant<strong>

* * *

><p>The deep black night sky drew across the great kingdom of Camelot; tiny specks of white light sparkling within the darkness. The gentle wisp of air was the only constant sound gliding through the town; although a light tapping of boots treaded among the peace every now and then as guards shifted their positions or lightly shook their legs to resume the flow of blood.<p>

Merlin was perched on the cold stone of the kingdoms outer wall border, his legs gently tapping the rough material as they calmly swung forward and back. The lush greenery of the forest lay in touching distance of the young servant, the thick leaves floating above the ground by the thin twigs that kept them attached to their trees.

He let the relaxing atmosphere of the night cloud over him, the stillness, the isolation, the peace. A shiver ran down his spine and his pupils flashed gold in response causing a tingling warm sensation to drape across his body. The night was so relaxing; he could stay in the moment forever.

A sudden spike of anxiety and guilt overcame the young warlock's calm and reclined nature and he cursed under his breath, "No! Go away…leave me alone…" He pressed his eyelids together and clenched his hands over his head trying to block out the prince's emotions. The feelings had opened the rest of the connection and he could feel the prince running throughout the castles corridors, which added with the turmoil running through his masters head Merlin could tell he was the cause of Arthur's frantic search.

"Argh!" He cried out in frustration, his voice amplifying in the silence. He could feel the prince's guilt double at his outburst and that just angered him even more! Why couldn't he be left to filter out his emotions in peace?

He slowly drew in a deep breath and cast all that was Arthur into the back of his mind, it was still all there and he could still feel it, but now it wasn't as over-whelming. It had been a week since the two friends had discovered the extras to their strange connection and over that time Merlin had managed to form a minuscule bit of control over what he had to feel from Arthur. When he was in a quiet place and focused enough he could shift Arthur's presence and emotions to the corner of his mind so it didn't drive him insane.

Unfortunately for Arthur he couldn't do anything of the sort, the agitated prince blamed Merlin's magic for allowing his servant the control but not himself and as the blonde boy couldn't lower the strength of the warlock's thoughts it meant his behaviour was a lot more reactive.

Merlin let out a bitter laugh at that understatement; reactive was too of a mild word for Arthur's behaviour earlier this afternoon. He'd been hiding from the prince for the rest of the day, switching from place to place to confuse his friends zoning in on his presence.

"He'll be here soon." Merlin hissed to himself; his careless burst of anger would have heighten the sense of presence meaning Arthur was probably already on his way. The young warlock just stayed staring at the forest, he was too tired to run away to avoid talking to the prince. He knew it was childish to be acting the way he was but he couldn't remember the last time Arthur had spoken so cruelly to him and he didn't want to forgive him yet, which he knew he would do as soon as he heard his friends apology.

As he felt Arthur change direction and head towards where he was hidden the memory of the afternoon washed over him again.

* * *

><p>The grunts of knights and the clang of metal filled the training area. The sun beat down on the men in their suffocating metal armour, the stench of sweat lingering in the air.<p>

Merlin sat hunched over on the floor by the armoury stand, his back rested against the uncomfortable wooden pole but he was too tired to notice or care. Recently Merlin had been having random lengths of tiredness and he was dealing with one right now.

Since Arthur was in full warrior mode Merlin was taking the opportunity to rest, he wasn't asleep, he would never make that mistake again; waking up in the stocks was not an experience he would want to repeat.

Merlin was watching Arthur fighting with Gwaine through his drowsy eyes; he still didn't see the point of Arthur full out battling his knights every day, everyone knew he was the best fighter in Camelot; he didn't have to go and prove it all the time.

But watching his friend fighting he narrowed his eyes questioningly; something was wrong. Arthur's left hook swing was too wide, his stance was clumsy and his defence was positively awful.

Merlin's eyebrows burrowed in confusion, he didn't understand why Arthur wasn't fighting properly and from the waves of frustration hitting his mind he was guessing Arthur wasn't doing it on purpose.

The young servant sighed and dragged himself off the grass, lazily grabbing a clean cloth as he trudged over to the clumsy prince. As he neared the centre of the training area he took in the fact that all the knights had stopped their activities and were watching their prince with a mixture of confused and concerned expressions. Gwaine himself looked lost, Merlin could tell he was lightening his blows with each swing to help the prince but from the increasing anger levels Merlin was feeling it was doing the exact opposite, making the stubborn prince more determined.

"Arthur." Merlin spoke with concern, walking straight behind his friend and placing a hand on his shoulder despite the gasps of warning from the surrounding knights. The knights braced themselves for the sword that would be swung at the servants head in the prince's fighting concentration, but they didn't know that Arthur had already felt his servants presence before he'd even been a foots distance away from him.

_Back off Merlin! _The harsh words startled the young warlock and he forgot to reply out loud.

_What Arthur? What's up with you? And what's wrong with your fighting? _The questions ran of Merlin's mind as Arthur continued to take weak swipes at Gwaine, ignoring his friends hand on his shoulder.

_Oh you want to know what's wrong with my fighting…_ Arthur brought his sword crashing heavily down and the force caused him to fall forward onto his face landing in an embarrassing heap on the floor, "It's you!"

Merlin had stumbled forward at the loss of Arthur's body to lean against but he had caught himself just in time. Though the brutality of Arthur's voice made him stumble a few paces back once again; ignoring the shocked and confused expressions of the knights Merlin accusingly pointed at the prince, shouting in reply, "Me! What on earth have I done?!

Arthur attempted to scrabble up off the ground but slipped over his own foot, despite Merlin's confusion and anger he couldn't help his automatic action of reaching his hand out to help his friend.

Arthur grabbed Merlin's wrist and pulled himself off the ground, _you're practically falling asleep over there and it's affecting my fighting!_

_Well then use the exercises I worked out and cast the feeling to the back of your mind! _Merlin snapped, sharply shrugging Arthur's hand off his wrist and leaning down to pick up the prince's fallen sword.

"You know it doesn't work for me!" Arthur shouted back.

"Well that's not my fault you jerk!" Merlin flung in response, hardly even noticing the astounded mummers of the knights at his startling disrespect for the prince. Both boys had seemingly forgotten they had an audience and that the audience was currently clueless to the random sentences being fired between the two of them.

Arthur marched towards his servant and snatched his sword out of the boys hand, their hands touching for a few seconds, _of course it is._

Merlin gaped in astonishment and he felt the blood run to his face, he roughly grabbed Arthur's arm as the boy turned away, _and why pray tell is your lack of mental talent my fault?!_

_Because you find it funny to see me make a fool of myself in front of my knights! _Arthur accused, twisting his arm to force Merlin to release his grip.

Merlin clutched his hand, Arthur's twisting causing the wound from earlier in the week to re-open, "You don't need any help doing that!"

"Watch your mouth Merlin!" Arthur bellowed, spinning around to face his servant.

"Or what?! You're going to do some more fancy moves with that sword of yours? Show off again?" Merlin's tone had slipped into one of cruel mocking in his rage.

Arthur saw red at the boys comment and launched himself at his servant; throwing the startled boy to the ground and kneeling above him, one hand on his shoulder holding him in place and the other clutching the sword dangling just above his exposed neck.

The watching knights all froze at the sight before them, none of them understood any of the conversation that had proceeded but they couldn't believe Arthur was actually holding _Merlin_ at sword point.

_These moves fancy enough for you? _Merlin flinched, the knights would think it was out of fear of Arthur but the servant knew his friend would never actually physically hurt him; it was the spite lacing the prince's tone that caused the reaction.

_Those moves mean nothing; you wouldn't be alive without me! _Merlin spat back, he knew it was low and cruel but Arthur hadn't been exactly pleasant in his words either.

Arthur raised his sword above his servants head, he heard the cries of protest from his knights but Merlin just stared at him, not moving nor blinking.

The sword stabbed into the earth inches from Merlin's head, _shut up, servant! _

As soon as that one word was released the whole atmosphere between the boys took a drastic turn. Merlin let out an audible gasp of pain, his eyes subtly wetting with tears of betrayal. Arthur's face froze at his thought and he looked into the broken eyes of his friend, opening his mouth to try and register any kind of apology but as soon as Arthur reached to touch him the warlock's eyes rapidly flashed gold and the prince was shoved away from the boy.

The knights could sense that something serious had just happened between the two friends and kept their silence, even in their surprise at Merlin's strength to push the prince such a distance.

Merlin slowly pushed himself off the ground and stood tall, looking down at his guilt ridden friend, "As you wish sire." And with a respectful bow Merlin turned and walked away from the training area, away from the group of befuddled and stunned knights and away from his hurtful 'friend'.

* * *

><p>Merlin was pulled out of his memories by the presence of the prince behind him; he could feel the staggering guilt leaking out of the older boy's bones but he cleansed his teeth and kept his gaze firmly forward, refusing to give in so easily.<p>

Arthur nervously stood beneath the raven haired boy, the wall creating a vertical barrier between them. He licked his lips and opened his mouth a few times, trying to form the words he wanted to say but having his boyish awkwardness get in the way. He rubbed his thumb over the palm of his hand deciding that he needed the connection if he actually wanted to sort anything out that night.

The prince gave the wall a once over before sprinting forwards and taking a strong forced leap; only to feel the scrape of stone against his hand as he fell back to the ground.

Arthur closed his eyes in shock as he thudded to the ground; he slowly rolled onto his back and lifted himself to his feet, gently rubbing the back of his head. He didn't even wait until the light thumping had ceased under his skull before leaping at the wall again; but alas the same outcome occurred.

The prince released a grunt of frustration, hastily stumbling up once again; his lips drawn in a firm white line of determination. He took a few paces back and then broke into a full pelted sprint, his legs bending to propel him off the ground. But in mid-air he realised that he still wasn't going to reach the walls rim and braced himself for the impact of the hard ground once more.

A few seconds passed and when no new form of pain shot up his back Arthur hesitantly opened his eyes. His eyebrows rose in surprise to find himself hovering in mid-air, his legs dangling beneath him like those of a puppet.

"Well I doubted I'd get an apology if you were unconscious." A cold voice cut from above.

The guilt swarming in Arthur's stomach doubled at the sound of his friend's impersonal voice and he couldn't withhold the small cry of alarm that left his lips as he suddenly started to drift upwards towards the raven haired boy.

Merlin didn't acknowledge Arthur as his eyes flashed gold, lifting the boy up and placing him next to his side on the stone wall; with a firmer landing than necessary.

As soon as Arthur was seated he reached out and placed his hand gently on Merlin's shoulder, _Merlin…_

_Did you require something sire? _His friend's voice respectfully replied; the venom behind the phrase hardly noticeable but Arthur winced at the hidden tone.

_Merlin… I didn't mean it, I… _Arthur pleaded but was cut off by the other voice in his head.

_But you said it didn't you! After all we've been through and everything I've done for your stupid self you still allow that description to remain in your head! _

Merlin's words were harsh and the anger behind them caused Arthur to bring his spare hand to his head; the words mixed with the powerful emotions he could also feel causing his head to throb.

_I know… and I… _But the young warlock wasn't finished.

_Because of course I'm still your servant and that's how everyone else sees me but I thought that you of all people wouldn't think of me by that title anymore_; the raging boy was too caught up in his words to notice the menacing black thunder cloud crawling together in the clear sky above them and the prince was too focused on the pain of anger in his head to notice that his friends eyes had melted into pools of golden liquid. _I thought you saw me differently, I thought you were my friend! But apparently not! Because Prince Arthur is too much of a big-headed prat to think or care about anyone else!_

A mighty crack shot through the sky and the tree right across from the two boys burst into flames as a tremendous lightning bolt sliced through the bark. Both boys cried in alarm and Arthur managed to cling onto his friend's tunic just in time to stop himself from breaking his neck on a fast descend to the ground.

_Shoot! Ahh! Sorry!_ Merlin bumbled, forgetting his anger as the young fire started to heighten and catch onto the surrounding greenery. The boy quickly reached his hand towards the flames and frantically muttered a spell under his breath, _aqua__sparsit__._

A surge of water burst from the air before Merlin, the force almost pushing the boy off the wall but Arthur reflectively grabbed Merlin to him and clung to the wall with his other hand to balance the pressure. The water smashed into the fierce flames and beat it down, sparks of fire that were scraping onto the surrounding forest floor dying under the weight of water.

After a couple of minutes the fire was completely gone; a mighty cloud of smoke and steam was all that was left, hiding the cindered outer layers of the forest from view.

The two boys sat hunched over staring at the destruction in front of them; both heavily panting, with beads of sweat rolling form their foreheads. Arthur glanced at his friend and Merlin turned his head to face the prince at the same time. Merlin's hair was stood on end, his face covered in black ash and his clothes soaked to the bone; the prince didn't doubt that he probably looked the mirror image of the warlock.

In their shock and at the sight of the other the two boys broke out into pearls of laughter, leaning on each other to stop them collapsing off the wall, temporarily forgetting their feelings of resentment and guilt. But the comical and mildly hysterical laughter was brought to a rapid halt as the deep warning shouts of Camelot's guards burst into the night.

Arthur and Merlin's heads snapped up towards the sound of the coming guards at the same time, ideas of pathetic explanations running through both their heads in panic.

_Sorry?_ Arthur hurriedly yet sincerely asked.

_Forgiven._ Came Merlin's quick reply and with that both boys leapt off the wall and with a clumsy roll landed on the ground below; Arthur grabbed his friends wrist and dragged him into an alley way just as a large collection of guards and knights arrived at the scene to assess what the crash and flames had been.

The warlock felt a loud giggle tingle in his mouth at the thought of the random situation his peaceful night had morphed into and how his argument with Arthur had literally disappeared with two words despite his determination to get a full blown apology out of his friend, but Arthur smothered his friend's lips with his hand before the noise escaped. The prince gave the boy a warning look but Merlin just winked in response.

"Check the surrounding houses to see if they noticed anything." The authorative order startled the boys into action and Arthur quickly nodded his head towards the castle before grabbing Merlin's wrist yet again and pulling him slowly and silently in the indicated direction.

A surprised cry sounded from behind the boys, "Hey! You too! What are you doing?"

The two boys froze in mid-creep and took a second to share a 'busted' look before they simultaneously broke into a full sprint.

"What? Hey! Stop! You two, stop!" The surprised tone switched to one of anger and the remaining ensemble of guards and knights ran over to the shouts of their fellow companion. Catching drift of the situation the large group of armed men set off in immediate pursuit of the unidentified fleeing boys, throwing orders and threats at their disappearing backs.

Arthur kept a firm hold of Merlin's wrist as they ran, the skinny boy having trouble keeping up with the trained prince's long strides.

_And I thought your training sessions where bad…_ Merlin complained; the strain of the boy's breathing obvious to the prince even through their connection.

_Oh stop whining Merlin. Live in the moment!_ Arthur replied, the thrill of the chase getting to him, producing a slight giddy feeling in his head.

_Yeah… but can we live in the moment whilst sitting? Or even walking?_

Arthur let out a hearty laugh at his friend, relived and ecstatic to know he was forgiven and that their familiar banter had sweetly been reborn.

_Well if you want to deal with those guys be my guest._

Merlin shot a glance behind him and his eyes widened at the sight of the red faced men holding newly sharpened swords in their direction running after them.

_Actually… I've been wanting to do more exercise._ Merlin decided; taking a nervous swallow and increasing his pace.

_Knew you'd come around… and by the way…_ Arthur glanced at his panting friend.

_What?_ Merlin questioned in reply.

_I think we should try and lay off the arguments from now on,_ Arthur concluded with a smirk.

_Well for the sake of my lack of fitness and the trees of Camelot I think I'll have to agree with that!_ And with a grin Merlin gave the prince a light shove and over took him, leaving the blonde boy to chase after him shouting amused accusations of cheating at the back of his head.

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please review :) x<em>


	7. Cirion

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer:** Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

Thankyou so much for the people that have reviewed and the people who have favourited or put it on story alert; also to GhostMbwa who author favourited and alerted me! Plus to Thealie who added me to the Magic Revealed community - it all means so much to me x

* * *

><p><span><strong>Cirion<strong>

* * *

><p>The threads of morning light shone through the gleaming glass windows of the throne room; this sun offering a few layers of warmth to the cold brick room. A long polished wooden table stood proudly in the centre of the room; a strong and well-crafted throne sitting at the far end facing the door, watching and assessing any new guests to its home.<p>

Uther Pendragon was placed on said throne; slightly hunched over to look at the array of parchment spread before him, laying out the coming and goings of his kingdom. His posture still had a hint of class to it; the tense shoulders and firm back, the unnoticeable flick of his eyes to the solemn guards scattered on the outskirts of the room showing his awareness and need to show the highest class when in sight of any one of his subjects.

His son, stood directly opposite the king showed the opposite approach to such standards. The prince's blonde locks were flicked left and right, his left boot was untied and half of his maroon tunic was sprawled out of his trousers.

The king had yet to notice his son's common state as the prince had only just entered the room; he full paced sprinted throughout the castles corridors to attend the meeting with his father causing him to nearly slam head first into the giant oak doors. Fortunately the prince had steadied himself and slipped into the throne room unnoticed although his timing had coincided with the departure of the council meaning he had missed the important meeting.

"I'm sure you have an excellent excuse to why you missed the council meeting this morning." Uther's disapproving voice questioned, his eye's briefly lifting to glance at his son as he spoke but falling back to the parchment slightly narrowed at the sight of the prince's attire.

Arthur let out a nervous laugh at his father's analysis which he subtly morphed to a cough. He rapidly started to fix his clothes and hair, attempting to make himself look the minimum of presentable. _Stupid Merlin, I always get the blame…_ In truth Arthur had slept in due to his and Merlin's spontaneous jog around the kingdom the previous night; they had ended up having to hide in the stables until the early hours of the morning meaning Arthur had only reached his bed a couple of hours before he had jumped up to race to this meeting.

Arthur smoothed his hair one last time before letting out a sharp cough and grasping his hands behind his back; switching back to his birth right role. "I apologise father, my servant was late this morning so I was not awoken at the correct time." He humbly explained.

_Ha, take that Merlin! _Realistically Arthur vaguely remembered muttering a few words to Merlin that could have been arranged into a sentence that went along the lines of, "Take the morning off." The prince put this down to his guilt over the argument but his early hour's annoyance was currently stronger than his thoughts of what incidents had and had not happened so he decided his friend might as well be blamed for something.

Uther lifted himself out of the throne and mirrored the prince's position; looking him straight in the eye now he was deemed acceptable. "I still don't see why you keep that boy; there are far better servants available." The King repeated yet again in a tone that hinted that getting a new servant would be an action he would strongly agree with.

Arthur returned a tight smile and a stiff nod of the head to show he understood his father's message but his reply was laced with a stubborn and slightly protective overtone, "I'm sure there are but as I always say Merlin does get his jobs completed to a high standard plus I simply wouldn't have the time to train a new servant."

The king gave his son a brief cold gaze at his defence for the bumbling servant yet again but the moment quickly passed. He scooped a pile of parchment into his left hand and moved around the wooden table; slowly walking towards Arthur.

"Well since you weren't here for the meeting I suppose I will have to catch you up to speed," Uther wearily told the prince, "Firstly the matters of border patrols was drawn to attention…"

Arthur watched his father and after many years of self-training, sub-consciously nodded to his words in separate intervals along with other meaningless gestures such as a small rub of his chin or a brief down-turn of the eyebrows to give the effect of pure concentration.

The prince saw no point in listening to his father's monotonous report since the situations were the same every day plus the parchment that was currently hanging from his hand contained all of the details upon it and the parchment would be given to him as soon as he went to leave the room.

Along with this the prince's absence servant was also distracting him. Arthur couldn't feel the vibrancy of Merlin's presence as normal but instead had a light tickling sensation lingering throughout his body and if he really focused could feel the shadows of emotions coming from the boys dream state. _I think I much prefer it when he is sleeping, less… noise_; although Arthur couldn't help feel slight envy towards the fact Merlin was currently curled up in bed whereas he had to stand in the brisk winded throne room listening to his father drone on.

"And I want you more presentable than a few minutes ago when Cirion arrives…" This drew Arthur's attention back to the report and his gaze focused onto his father.

"King Cirions coming? Since when was this happening?" Arthur asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to recall the mention of such a visit; one of this standard wouldn't have been kept from him.

Uther's stone like expression cracked at his son's questions and he gave him an exasperated look, "You've known for weeks! It's been in many discussions! You've been going around checking the banquet details on my behalf!"

The prince's eyes widen in remembrance as the different memories came back to him; the organisation had been recent meaning he had over things on his mind at the time; _or other people…_ But this had led to him completely mislaying information regarding the royal visit.

"Of course; I apologise I just forgot for a second, I've only just woken." Arthur flustered, "So just remind me; how long is he planning to stay?" He continued; his voice laced with apprehension.

Uther couldn't help smiling at his son's troubled face; he walked over and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "I know you and Cirion haven't seen eye to eye in the past," Uther said, ignoring Arthur's faint mutter _'You can say that again'_ under his breath, "But when it comes to matters that revolve around the well-being of Camelot, even if they are simply friendly meals to help keep the bonds of loyalty remembered you have to endure the man's company and like it!"

During the King's scolding Arthur had been staring at his boots like a punished child but he raised his gaze up when the message had finished, "But how long is he going to stay?" Arthur asked again, his tone similar to that of a whining boy.

Uther fondly shook his head and gave Arthur a firm pat on the shoulder as he turned to walk back to the other end of the table, "A week at most, I'm sure you can survive."

Arthur acknowledged the comment with a quick raise of the eyebrows in sarcastic belief; lightly tapping his knuckles on the wooden table surface in a sign of agitation. A heavy sweep of fatigue suddenly swept through him and he had to quickly catch himself against the table so he didn't fall onto the floor. _Merlin's awake then_; recently tiredness had been one of the only things his servant had been feeling so Arthur had had to get accustomed to the sudden loss of energy, _he's probably just faking it to try and get out of work, he seems to understand the connection well enough to do such an annoying trick._

"Well if that is all I'd better be off," Arthur excused; already retreating towards the door. His body was half out of the room when his father's voice sounded once more, "Oh I almost forgot, there was a fire in the outer forest by the north side of the kingdoms walls last night. A couple of men were seen running from the area but they weren't caught; look into it if you have time."

Arthur couldn't suppress the smirk that slid onto his face at his father's request but luckily the man was back to rifling through his varied parchment collection so didn't notice. "Of course father, although I'm sure the fire was simply caused by a spot of bad weather." The prince replied with a hardly hidden tone of amusement before sliding out of the room with the oak door leaving a loud echo in his wake.

* * *

><p><em>So, Cirion; not your best friend I take it<em>, Merlin's voice swept into the prince's mind. The two friends were leisurely strolling throughout the castles corridors making their way towards the lower court yard for the visiting King's arrival. A flurry of servants manoeuvred and ran in all directions; each carrying different piles of objects; food, bed sheets, decorations. This meant that the prospect of walking side by side was delusional so Arthur had placed himself behind his friend, keeping one hand on his shoulder for the purposes of the connection although to anyone else it simply looked like the prince was being his normal controlling self and leading Merlin along similar to a horse. That would be if anyone was not busy enough to notice.

_Well we're not close, but he is a good King and his loyalty is cherished for the kingdom…_ even Arthur was finding it hard to believe his own thoughts plus he could sense Merlin's disbelief and could practically _feel_ him rolling his eyes.

_So in other words, you hate his guts._ Merlin summarised in his flippant tone, gently turning his head and throwing a smirk back in the prince's direction.

Arthur's posture dramatically fell alongside his façade, _oh so much! He's a horrible man! And an unfair ruler alongside! No respect, no justice… just makes decisions according to what pleases him rather than his people. Plus he is so rude and arrogant!_

_Rude and arrogant you say… Wow, I'm finding hard to see how you two aren't the best of friends!_ Merlin sent a flush of triumph Arthur's way from his statement and Arthur's grip on his shoulder sharply tightened in retaliation.

_Ever the jester Merlin…_ Arthur sniped in reply but Merlin could still feel the humour behind the thought.

Though suddenly as the young man turned around the next corner all of his energy rapidly drained out of his body and his legs gave out underneath him; luckily his descent was blocked by Arthur's arms. _Merlin? Merlin, are you okay?_ The prince's anxious question came out through both speech and thought; he could feel how powerful the sudden energy drainage was and he was worried.

The young warlock couldn't understand what was happening, his head felt like a whirlpool, he couldn't focus on Arthur's voice or mind. He could vaguely feel someone setting him onto a stone ledge and the feel of something solid helped zone in reality so he slumped to the side; leaning his head against the stone pillar also. The colours of the world blurred together so Merlin scrunched his eyelids together to block out any light and ease the piercing visual pain. All sound had merged into a monotonous buzzing and the young boys face screwed up in annoyance and fear at the confusion his world had turned to.

Arthur was kneeling in front of his friend, his hands clasping the boys, soothingly rubbing the back of his hands and murmuring whilst also thinking reassuring nonsense and attempting to calm himself as much as possible to allow that emotion to project onto Merlin. He'd swiftly moved Merlin onto a corridor ledge hidden behind a pillar to not draw any attention to the boy, _Merlin… you're fine, just concentrate on my presence, come on, there's no need to worry…_ The spikes of fear and confusion were jabbing Arthur's mind like needles and he was having trouble not letting himself absorb the panic.

Merlin's limp hands suddenly clung onto Arthur's, his nails penetrating the prince's skin, _Arthur?_ The warlock's voice was but a mere whisper, the tiredness evident within it, what…

Then out of the blue Merlin's energy snapped back into him, he rapidly sat up again and shook his head; as if trying to clear away the tiredness. _Whoa, that was strange!_ The boys light-heartedness had emerged also, any evidence of the collapse had disappeared.

_I… what? MERLIN!_ Arthur had jumped out of his skin at his friend's sudden recovery and he didn't enjoy being scared.

The servant mischievously smiled at his friends expression,_ sorry, I don't know what that was… maybe I'm not eating enough or something. Dizziness and similar symptoms are normal if your diets not correct apparently; well that's what Gaius always says anyway._

_But… you…what!? _Arthur still hadn't regained the concept of sentences yet and he just stared at his friend in confusion, trying to twist his head around the sudden fatigue attack.

Merlin could feel the prince's confusion but as he also didn't have an answer he decided to simply ignore the incident. _Come on_, He leapt off the stone ledge and slid his way past Arthur; joining the stream of bodies in the corridor, "We're late now!" The warlock's voice carried back as he jogged off towards the lower court yard once more.

The prince was still kneeling on the floor; staring at the spot Merlin had been slouched over on just a few moments ago. Quickly snapping out of his confusion and catching up with the new on-goings he jumped to his feet and poked his head out from behind the pillar just in time to see a mop of raven hair disappear around the next corner. Despite the warlock's sudden recovery, Arthur couldn't help still worrying about his friend. Could an energy drop of that scale really just be because the boy wasn't eating properly? Merlin never ate consistent or healthy meals and he'd never had this problem before; plus he'd looked as pale as a ghost even after his bubbliness returned…

Merlin must have felt Arthur's concern and worry emanating from his body as the boy's head snapped back out from the corner he'd just disappeared around, "Come on mother hen; you can fret on the way!"

Arthur smirked and shook his head at his friend's comment and sprinted after him, _he's probably right, he just needs to start eating more._

* * *

><p>Arthur and Merlin luckily reached the court yard mere seconds before King Cirion's ensemble emerged through the archway; although both boys were red faced and panting since they had been half way across the castle when they started their run. Uther sent his son a cold look and sent Merlin an even colder and harder glare that actually caused the boy to take a step forward, moving himself out of the King's eye line by using Arthur as a shield.<p>

Fortunately as the visiting King was arriving Uther didn't have a chance to scold either late comer and the two friends sent each other a quick _phew_ glance before turning back to watch the approaching carriage.

The carriage entering the court yard was indeed a sight to behold; the body was made of smooth curved wood that had been painted the deepest black with tiny red jewels screwed across the sides to give the effect of running blood. The wheels were also a fine black but scratched with gold instead; as the wheels turned small orange sparks emitted from the paved yard every few seconds. At a closer gaze it could be seen that a few of the red jewels had been attached to the outside of the wheel, causing them to create fire sparks each time they scraped the ground. The two horses that pulled the unique carriage were also a pure black, so pure that it seemed there colouring could hardly be natural.

At the sight of such a carriage Merlin forgot Arthur's order to not use the connection when in range of Uther and lightly placed his hand on the prince's forearm, _happy guy isn't he._

The only visual sign of Arthur's amusement was a slight quirk of his mouth but Merlin could feel the amusement so it didn't matter, _yes, he does have quite an eccentric liking for the dark colours_, the prince's mood slipped into a sombre tone and he gave the warlock a look filled with sorrow, _but he does have his reasons. _

Merlin raised an eyebrow at his friend's serious retort, _what do you mean?_

The prince had already turned his head back to the decelerating carriage but sent him a feeling of dismissal, _some other time._

Merlin also looked back to the carriage just in time to see King Cirion himself emerge from the black depths, although his appearance made the warlock do a double take. Arthur felt his friend's startle and his tone leaked to one of annoyance, _and that's another reason I don't like him, he has reasons but it seems he simply uses them for sympathy and show rather than actual sorrow._

The warlock didn't understand what sorrows he was referring to but he could see where Arthur was coming from with the whole for show effect. Having watched and taken in the carriage which gave off a showy yet still mournful feel he had expected the King to emerge in some range of mourning garment but his attire was quite the opposite.

The man had on the finest white silk tunic and trousers, finished with a pair of fully polished warm brown leather boots. Along with that his heavy cream coloured coat was lined with white fur around the neck and from said neck hung a range of colourful jewels and crescents; his full atone screamed the reverse to his arrival.

But before Merlin could add his opinion to Arthur's thought the King in question was upon them; he slowed his strut as he passed the prince, giving him a slight nod in greeting and a friendly yet fake smile. Arthur returned the pleasant and brief fake greeting and Merlin being his optimistic self also gave the King a wide smile; which in return he got a piercing scowl.

"My horses need tending boy," The King droned without stopping to address Merlin as he ordered him, the servant's smile tightened and Arthur sent him a warning signal and flicked his eyes over to the horses, so grumpily dragged himself in the direction of the black horses, ignoring yet still appreciating Arthur's apologetic waves.

The prince watched his friend wander off before turning to look back at Cirion who was now clasping hands with his father in the traditional greeting. Arthur had seen how Cirion's eyes had noticed Merlin's hand on his arm as he had walked by and the prince couldn't help feeling concerned; Cirion always took any opportunity to annoy or hurt him when he came to stay and he really wasn't going to let the arrogant King add Merlin into that game.

As if the King could feel Arthur's eyes on him, he turned his head back just as he was about to enter the castle behind Uther. His cold sly eyes flicked to where his friend stood attending the horses and then back to the prince, who was standing tall with his fists clenched as if daring Cirion to even try. The King took in the prince's stance and threw him a cruel smirk and a light mocking wave of the fingers before gliding through the castle doors.

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed it, please review :) x<em>


	8. Aurea

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer: **Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

* * *

><p><span><strong>Aurea<strong>

* * *

><p>"You weren't lying when you said Cirion and you weren't friends." The two boys had retired to Arthur's chambers as soon as King Cirion's arrival had ended; Arthur had his mind set on spending as little time as possible with the visiting King and after Merlin's brief encounter, he was perfectly happy to follow suit.<p>

The prince tilted his head backwards over the leather chair he had flopped onto to allow him to see his servant, "Well obviously; I never lie," Arthur smugly stated. As he spoke he ran his tongue over the top of his teeth in mild discomfort; since recent events he always found it strange talking to his friend out loud; it didn't feel right.

The corner of Merlin's mouth tilted upwards, "Same," the warlock said, agreeing with his friend's inner thought. After many weeks of having the connection, the two boys had become so accustomed to the other's mind and presence that they could easily distinguish each other's thoughts from the moods or senses that would glide among their own.

"But then I wouldn't be able to do any chores so…" Merlin dropped the pile of clothes he'd been hanging into the prince's wardrobe and started towards his friend, "Actually scratch that, I can't stand speaking out loud! I think I'm losing my voice! My throat can't handle it! I can't go on with work!" Arthur laughed at his friend's theatrics and picked up the jacket he'd disregarded when entering the room, flinging it in the unsuspecting boys face.

"Well that speech just disproved your excuse anyway!" He replied; smiling at his friend who now stood in the middle of the room with a jacket hanging on top of him.

Merlin slid the garment off his head, revealing a nest of scruffy hair underneath and scoffed at the prince before throwing the item back. There was a moment of companionable silence between the two before the young warlock opened his mouth but then closed it again and looked down to the floor, shuffling his feet with a wary expression on his face.

Arthur could feel Merlin's change in mood, "What is it?"

Merlin shyly glanced up at his friend and Arthur could sense the boy's hesitance and seriousness, leading him to latch onto the situation, "You want to know why Cirion hates me so much." His voice came out weary and he turned his back to the warlock, gazing into the flickering flames of the fire in front of him.

The prince felt his servant's agreement and there was a moment of silence before a soft hand rested upon his shoulder and the familiar voice swam into his head, _I'm not trying to be nosy… but there has to be a history there, plus what's with the whole sorrow theatrics? _

Merlin's mind was jabbed with a spike of defence at his question but he cushioned the blow with a wave of serenity and sent the calming emotion back to the prince, _I can tell it's something you don't talk about but, maybe it would be helpful to share, plus do you really except to keep something from me?_

Arthur gave a small smile at the last comment, _it's a long story_; he turned his head back to face Merlin, _you'll want to sit down. _

Merlin compelled with his friend's advice and slid onto the chair opposite Arthurs; letting his hand fall from the prince's shoulder to his knee, _well we've got a while until the banquet._

The blonde boy chewed his lower lip in thought, high concentration levels flickered through Merlin's mind along with flashes of images and memory clips. He could feel Arthur's strain to focus on the memory he was trying to recall; when he felt the levels continue to rise he reached out and grasped his friend's hand that had been clenched on the arm rest.

_Why don't you try and show me the story rather than tell me_, Merlin comfortingly asked. Arthur switched his gaze to his friend's face and showers of confusion rained through the warlocks mind, _look… just show me, focus on the story and allow your mind to create images for it, then open it to allow me to see as well. Just as if you're picturing a memory…_

Arthur visually as well as mentally relaxed at Merlin's instructions and blurs of mixed images started to fade into focus in his mind as Arthur's explanation started to conjure into pictures and scenes as well as gain more control; _it started before I was born…_

* * *

><p>A magnificent castle worn with age but still holding dignity stood proudly within a mist of trees in full blossom; a vast ocean drew out behind the building, creating a picturesque scene of a fine kingdom. Within the castle walls the poorly built houses were decorated with various flowers and the poverty struck citizens had such big smiles on their faces they could crack from the unfamiliar expression.<p>

A joyful cry suddenly sounded in the distance; followed by another and another until eventually the whole kingdom was filled with the delights and laughter from the cry of, "A boy, Queen Regina has borne a prince!"

The rejoice and praise was cut by the authoritive voice of the King who stood proudly on the main balcony of the castle, holding his new born son in his arms. The ruler's gaze wiped across his people until each one had fallen silent and turned their heads to look up at the new father.

"People of Lorem, I, your King am here to present to you your future King and my heir; Prince Aurea!" Cries of applause and cheers flew from below the King's feet as he lifted his son to the crowd, basking in the praise and admiration; the scene looked to be one of a man delighting in his love and happiness for his new child, but behind the outer layer there was an unseen flicker of something that was to become much more sinister.

"The first boy to be born throughout the Kingdom's in over a decade, I congratulate you Cirion!" A bulky man with a flushed face and goblet draping between his fingers slurred to his fellow royal host. The King primly nodded his gratitude to the shameful royal and moved his gaze to the surrounding occupants; Kings and Queens from every Kingdom were seated at the banquet, all visiting to give their best wishes and congratulations at producing a son.

As the evening continued and more and more praise, wonderment and hidden envy were given to the royal couple, the smile on King Cirion's face grew and along with it, the flicker of greed in his eyes.

A handsome toddler of two sat upright in his cradle, his honey brown locks falling over his deep chocolate eyes which watched the jousting horses with young awe. Next to the finely clothed cradle stood a smartly dressed woman in plain garments watching over the child, her face blank and emotionless.

Cirion sat in the box with his neighbouring royal, King Bayard; keeping one eye on his son whilst casually assessing the training knights before him. At glancing to his left he saw that Bayard's attention was firmly on the young prince, he allowed himself a small smirk, his son was admired throughout the Kingdom's as being the only heir born for a decade and Cirion took great joy in that fact; his golden prince.

"He's got a hard life ahead of him, the only heir through the entire Kingdoms, somebody will need to take charge one day and that duty will fall upon his shoulders." Cirion proudly stated; a speech he had given to precisely all visiting royals over the years.

King Bayard quirked up a bushy eyebrow and slouched back in his chair, "I wouldn't be so confident about that," he placed his hands behind his head in a lazy manner; highlighting his smug tone. Cirion's expression turned to one of stone, his voice tight and biting, "What are you implying?"

The visiting royal lifted himself out of the chair and turned his head to look back down to the young prince who was now waving his chubby hands at a bemused knight across from the cradle. "He doesn't speak does he, two years and un-spoken," the King rapped his knuckles on the wooden box, "Some people see that as a sign," he mocked in a hidden tone, his knuckles now creating a rhythm to his words.

"Do you doubt my son!" Cirion snapped at his fellow royal, his cheeks reddening in offence.

"Oh no," Bayard lightly back-handed, "But haven't you heard," the rhythm got increasingly faster, "Ygraines expecting a son." Then with one sharp slap to the box the King swept his cloak around his shoulder and took his leave, an unseen cruel smile on his features at Cirion's silence.

The proud man sat in a silence of disbelief, but that disbelief quickly turned to anger and looking down at his son, that flicker in his eyes set alight a new spark.

Regina watched her ten year old son through the windows of her public quarters, the young boy was layered in sweat and she could see the deep purple bruises along his arms and legs even from the distance she sat at. Aurea was swinging a sword twice the suitable size for a boy of his age at his father who was blocking each hit with an easy movement of an old, battered shield.

The prince drew the sword above his head to attempt a full blow but the weight of the metal was too much for his small frame and he crumpled under the force, the sword falling next to him with a loud crash. The King shouted at the boy for his mistake and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him off the ground and shoving the sword back into the trembling boy's hands, gesturing for him to repeat the move.

The Queen turned her head from the scene in fear of the tears in her eyes falling at the sight of her damaged son and the monster her husband had turned into. She half tuned back into the conversation behind her between a few visiting ladies of the court but their words allowed no distraction from the topic of her family.

"Cirion is going to work that poor boy to death; doesn't he see the damage he's doing to the prince's health?" One of the ladies gently remarked to her companions.

The woman sitting to her left, threw a cautious glance at the pale Queen seated by the window before answering her knowledge, "He's not thinking of the boy's health, all that he can think of is making his heir better than Uther's boy."

Another lady leant forward and quietly added to the conversation, "Indeed; Prince Arthur could already perform basic fighting techniques when he was merely six. Aurea couldn't even talk until he reached the age of three."

The Lady who had started the highly gossiped topic smoothed her dress and gave a sad shake of the head, "He always believed Aurea to be the golden boy, the mighty King to unite the lands; this is just him grasping at the end of that dream."

Regina turned her gaze back to her boy who was now fighting through tears as his muscle screamed in pain as he continued to swing the sword on his father's instructions. She heard one of the ladies hushed voices speak the thought she feared every day, "But is the prince going to survive the dream?"

As Aurea took another swing his body turned and he caught sight of his mother in the window; the Queen's heart broke a fraction more at the pleading and pain in her little boy's eyes.

A fourteen year old boy stood shamed faced in a red and gold competitors tent, his head was hung low and his shoulders were hunched down. A King who looked far older than his actual years furiously paced in front of the boy.

"The third round! You let yourself get knocked out in the third round by some unimportant Duke's son!" The man grabbed onto the small wooden table in the tent and flung it across the open space before striding over to the boy and grabbing him by the chin, forcing him to look at the anger ridden face.

"You Aurea are supposed to become a mighty King in the future! Do you think King's get beaten!" Cirion hissed venomously in his son's face, giving the boy a slight shake to make his disappointment even more prominent.

Aurea dropped his gaze back to the floor, "No father," the Prince replied in barely a whisper.

"Of course not!" The King pushed the boy away from him and stormed to the other end of the tent; the prince let himself fall to the floor, the metal links that made his armour cut into his back but he did nothing to stop the pain.

Hundreds of ecstatic cheers suddenly broke out from outside, the joyful celebrations sharply contrasting the cold mood surrounding the two royals. Cirion ripped the tent flap open and looked outside to assess the causes of the cheers; the moment the King's head left the tent his knuckles whiten against the wooden pole he was leaning on and an inhuman growl sounded in the bottom of his throat.

Aurea scurried into the corner of the tent, placing himself behind a tunic that was draped over a wooden bench and hid his face between his legs; waiting for his father's anger.

Cirion slowly turned to face his son who was cowering on the floor, when he spoke his voice had a cold, detached tone to it; which frightened the prince more than the shouting, "It seems the young Arthur Pendragon has won another tournament, everyone is praising him for his fighting skills that out-do his own age. They all seem to think of him as the perfect King."

The man predatorily stalked towards his son and towered over where he lay hidden, "The boy's two years your minor and he has more than double the amount of strength and skills you've ever scraped. Right now I hardly think you're worthy to be called my son." Cirion slapped the wooden bench with such viciousness the furniture collapsed on top of the young boy, burying him beneath a pile of armour and clothes.

The King glared at the boy crumpled underneath the tournament attire, his chest rising and falling with angered strength. Then the man straightened himself up, taking a few seconds to fix his hair before letting a congratulatory smile slip onto his face and gently exited the tent with a calm and dignified air; leaving his son in a quivering mess on the floor without so much as a backwards glance.

Queen Regina was laid out on a double-sized bed, the room was lit by the glorious morning sun and caskets of elegant flowers scattered across the various drawers and chairs. The picture of the young Queen was a sight that was unbelievable to see in a place of such colour.

Her skin was pale and ice cold to touch, the once healthy and shaped brunette locks were stringed and thin and her limbs were bony and fragile to move; it was a pitiful sight to behold.

The court physician officially declared that the Queen had been struck with an unfortunate and rare illness and it was doubtful she would remain with them for long. But away from the eyes of the stern King the man told the citizens of how the gentle Queen had simply lost the will to live; her hatred towards herself for allowing her son to be forced to train and work himself half to death catching up with her.

He told of how the Queen had become bed-ridden on the day her husband had announced Prince Aurea was to go and join the battle raging across the lands of Theotra; the wild moors where men of bloodlust and savageness fought day and night for no reason but to fight. Of how the King had seen it as a chance to prove his son was the golden prince, worthier than the Pendragon's boy and that his son alone would be able to bring peace to the land of war.

Prince Aurea had left over a week ago with only a dozen knights to accompany him on his quest. Many people said that the image that broke their heart was the look of happiness in the sixteen year olds eyes when his father had affectionately patted his back and told him he was proud of him for the actions he was undertaking. The boy had looked so joyful at words of praise from his father that he hardly had room to think of how the mission he was going on was suicide.

There were bodies lying in all directions, the land was filled with tortured screams and murderous cries of sickening glee. Choking smoke smothered the area from blazing fires fuelled by the flesh of men and the heat scorched those who were still breathing. Undetermined ash spiralled through the savages, some choking on it and others turning scared witless at the way it threateningly scratched at their skin.

Aurea was a patchy grey colour from the ash that clung to his body, blood was sliding down his arms and legs; some his own and some not. His eyes were wide and frantic and his head whipped from side to side as he stumbled across the field of the dead and dying. There was a sudden crash from behind him and he blindly swung his sword around in pure terror; he felt it cut into some soft material and a howl of pain sounded. The boy released the metal in fright and guilt and simply continued running; he couldn't see a thing, the fighting had taken over the land. The only vision was the outlines of men swinging at each other; the images flowed together like shadows of demons and Aurea clutched at his head to try and block out the screams and the pain.

Then a psychotic laugh cried from behind him and Aurea spun around just in time to see the nailed club come down.

Many miles away the Queen's eyes flew open and a weak strangled cry came from her lips before she fell back into silence was more, an everlasting silence. And a final tear slid from the corner of her opened eye; dropping onto the small portrait of her son that lay next to her.

* * *

><p>Merlin sat in silence, the horror of the story clutching at his heart. He looked up at his friend who was now staring into the fire with hollowness in his eyes. The warlock could feel his friend's pain surrounding the story and the deep flame of anger towards Cirion for what he had caused. <em>So he blames you for taking away his son's chance to become the mighty King of all the kingdoms?<em>

Arthur didn't turn to look at Merlin when he replied; _He also blames me for the death of Aurea._

Merlin felt a wave of guilt wash through the connection and he jumped out of his chair to kneel in front of his friend, keeping his hands resting on the Prince's legs_. Don't you even dare think that Aurea's death was at all your fault; Cirion is the one who bullied him and forced him into a battle he wasn't ready for. You did nothing._

Arthur looked down at his servant and a sad smile crossed his face; but the guilt didn't waver_, I was an arrogant child, I knew I was talented and I took every opportunity to show off. I remember all the times Cirion visited with Aurea and I would make the older boy fight with me so I could show how much better I was. Each time I did that __I would see the anger on Cirion's face and the fear in Aurea's eyes but I would just assume that those were feelings of anger and fear towards me, not each other. I made the situation worse each time; I could have done something to help him._

Merlin's legs buckled under the force of Arthur's guilt and sorrow and he squeezed his eyes together to bring the focus back to his own emotions. Once he found the heart of his feelings he pulled out the calmness and acceptance and drew it to the surface; projecting it across to Arthur.

He saw Arthur's expression soften as the new emotions swam over him and how he took in a couple of gentle deep breaths to bring his heart rate back down. _You were a child,_ Merlin's soothing thoughts began, _and there was no way you could __have known what was going on behind the scenes __of Aurea's life. Plus even if you hadn't shown off Cirion would have probably found another reason around why his son wasn't doing well enough. There was nothing you could do and if Aurea was still with us tod__ay, he wouldn't blame you for anything._

Merlin felt Arthur's negative feelings slowly dwindle until he was back to his normal level of emotions and the warlock could retract his own back. Merlin felt the sudden fatigue from concentrating on the connection but he shook his head at Arthur's questioning flicker; this wasn't the time for worrying about his stupid sleeping problems.

_Come on_, Merlin patted Arthur's leg and leapt to his feet, placing his hand back to its original position on his shoulder, _we need __to be getting ready, it's the banquet this evening._

Arthur let out a sigh and Merlin felt his exasperation for the coming meal, _that monster doesn't deserve to be in our kingdom let alone have us cook for him._

The warlock could feel the weight of the topic lingering over them and he frowned before casting his mind to a way to lighten the mood; a hint of mischievousness came over him causing Arthur to snap his head up in warning, _Merlin…_

Suddenly with a flash of gold, Arthur's chair was zooming across the room with the prince still occupying it. Merlin laughed at the sight of his friend's face as he tried to stop the chair, "Merlin! Make this chair stop!"

Despite his shouts Merlin could feel the prince's mood already lighten and he felt a small sense of satisfaction that his distraction worked, "I'm not doing anything sire, maybe the chair just got a bit bored of sitting by the fireplace."

He laughed as Arthur let out a high pitched scream as the chair just narrowly missed flying into the stone pillar in the middle of the room but just as Merlin had been slowing the chair down so it would stop by the bed there was a sudden heavy knock at the door.

The warlock jumped and his temporary lack of concentration meant the chair had a dramatic increase in speed before crashing into the side of the bed and causing Arthur to be flung out of the furniture and fly across the room landing in a heap on the opposite side of the bed.

The same moment Arthur fell out of sight, the two wooden doors crashed open and the figure of one King Cirion entered the room without so much as an invitation.

The finely dressed man looked around the room, taking in the mess and the pale boy standing among it all before speaking in a cold tone, "Not much of a servant are you boy."

Merlin felt his magic boil at the sight of the King and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself saying the things he really wanted to tell the royal. Merlin felt Arthur's warning so he simply gave the King a small nod and took a step back, letting the prince, who had just appeared from behind the bed, take control of the situation.

Arthur strode over to the King and stopped a couple of paces away, his legs slightly apart and his hands clenched behind his back in a defensive stance, "What is it you wish Cirion?"

The King who hadn't yet taken his eyes off Merlin, switched his gaze to the prince, "Your father advised me to come here." His voice was smug and he smirked at Arthur's tense body positioning, "I'm in need of a manservant for the duration of my stay, he suggested you could point me in the right direction but," his face drew in a venomous glee to it, "On seeing you have an available one right here it seems I won't need your help to find one."

Arthur felt a spike of disgust rise up in Merlin but he also sensed the wave of fear the boy attempted to hide from him at the King's words; the prince automatically took a step to his left, cutting Cirion's eye line from his friend.

"I'm afraid to say you're mistaken on that note, Merlin's my personal manservant so I unfortunately won't be able to lend you his services, but of course I'd be happy to lead you to the servant's quarters where you can find a suitable manservant for your stay." Arthur spoke pleasant words in a polite manner but his voice had a predatory undertone to it and his eyes burned into Ciron's; warning him away from his conquest.

The King held the prince's gaze for a couple of seconds before raising his eyebrows in a mocking manner but hiding it by giving a humble bow. "Of course sire, I didn't realise. But don't worry about visiting the servant's quarters now; it can wait till after the banquet."

Arthur gave the King a tight smile and gestured his arm towards the door, following the man as he took his leave and his hands firmly gripped the edge of the wooden frame as he waited for the royal to exit the room's border.

Merlin stared at the retreating King and he felt his magic boil even more as the thoughts of what the monster had done came back to him. Then before he could control himself, his eyes had flashed gold and Cirion had tripped over his white furred coat to fall flat on his face.

Both boys burst into laughter at the sight of the overly decorated man struggle to pick himself off the ground, the collection of jewels around his neck having mysteriously become double their weight meaning the man was stuck on all fours frantically bobbing his head up and down to try and lift the upper half of his body.

Arthur took a mental image of Cirion in a humiliated and frustrated state before slamming the door shut; leaving the King alone on the corridor floor.

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please review :) x<em>


	9. An Unwelcomed Change

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer: **Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

* * *

><p><span><strong>An Unwelcomed Change<strong>

* * *

><p>The normally dreary throne room was looking alive with silk banners, bold floral arrangements and a wide variety of luxury food which had a large enough capacity to feed the entire lower town of Camelot.<p>

Sat around the thrust of polished oak tables were a collection of royals, dukes and duchesses and other high class members of the bordering societies. The men and women were all drawn into their individual conversations; laughing at snobbish jokes and cutting into each other's appearances or situations from afar, every spoken word had to be carefully thought through before it was presented as nobody knew what trivial information their dinner partner could use against them in future comings.

Arthur was slumped in his chair at the end of the high table, his boredom outdoing his expected dignity and grace in posture. The conversation around the prince was dull at best; as his father only felt a professional friendship with Cirion rather than a personal one he had only invited the lower classes of high society; in other terms, the most boring.

The prince gave a small nod and an unconvincing hum of interest at a Duke's theory on mushroom stems next to him, he didn't know how much more of the banquet he could take_, and we haven't even got to the main yet! _

As Arthur's levels of self-pity increased he felt his servant appear to his right side, "A change of wine sire?" Merlin asked in a polite tone, leaning into the prince as if trying to hear his reply among the noise although his actions actually to cause him to brush against his friend, _or a change of conversation? _

The prince smirked and Merlin felt the waves of thankfulness, _oh but I was just about to discover the difference betwee__n double stemmed and single sliced mushrooms. _

He let out a whispered chuckle and moved to pour the wine into the half empty goblet, _well then, maybe I should just go back to the wall, I'm sure we could find something in common to discuss._

The boy laughed as Arthur grasped onto his tunic when he took a step towards the servant's wall and pulled him back behind his chair, moving the hand that wasn't holding a jug of wine to lean against his shoulder blade; the slight panic at the thought of having to continue talking to the enthusiastic Duke sweeping through the warlock's mind.

_Now there's no need to be hasty_, Arthur frantically thought, _since you're here you might as well stay, plus I think you'd bore the wall to death._

Merlin gave his friend a sharp pinch in response; _well you don't seem to mind my conversation,_ his mind sent out with a lace of smugness.

Arthur swatted the warlock's leg in retaliation, causing a few drops of the wine Merlin was holding to shower the neighbouring Duke. The pompous man swung around in rage and opened his mouth to shout at the clumsy servant but on catching the prince's warning expression quickly changed his mind and gave Merlin a tight smile before turning back to his bored wife.

Arthur burst out a snort laughter combination, _oh if only you had poured the whole jug over his head, I think you'd be doing his wife a favour! _Merlin rolled his eyes and smacked the laughing boy over the head before swiping a sausage off his overloaded plate despite the prince's mental whines, _go a__nd get your own food Merlin!_

A few chairs down, Cirion sat at a tilted angle, leaning his chin on his left hand looking past the King of Camelot to observe the crown prince and his servant. The two boys seemed to be wrapped up in their own world of laughing and food stealing; the prince wasn't even taking notice of his guests who kept trying to call his attention.

The cruel faced King bit down a smirk at the proof of the 'golden boy's' weakness; now he had that, he had methods of revenge.

"This is a most honourable feast your majesty, I can hardly show my gratitude!" Cirion swept his arm across his body and gave a small nod to resemble a gracious bow; Uther turned to face his guest and inclined his head to show the gratitude was noted, "Do not worry Cirion, it was a well-deserved feast, I'm glad you are enjoying it."

Uther moved to join his previous conversation once more but Cirion quickly caught his arm and spoke with the words of a sly fox, "And I'm glad it's not only I who is enjoying this fine event." The man left his sentence open and a spark of victory flashed in his eyes as the high King slowly turned back to him.

"Is there someone else in particular that is taking pleasure from this feast as much as you?" Uther questioned in a wary voice from sensing an undertone to Cirion's statement.

The schemer flashed a wide smile and casually gestured in the prince's direction, "Well your son certainly seems to be having fun." He spoke lightly so to not draw any suspicion to his choice of topic and allowed himself a smirk at seeing the King's gaze harden when falling on his son and the servant who was now practically sitting on the arm of the prince's chair and casually eating from his plate with no objection from said prince.

Uther released a stern cough and averted his gaze from the scene, his voice tight as he replied to the satisfied King, "Arthur does have a habit of wanting all citizens to feel involved in festivities."

Cirion slowly nodded in agreement but ran a hand over his lips and pointed in the direction once more, crafting his tone to one that brought subtle doubt to the receiver; one of the many tones he had perfected in his years of workings among the royal classes, "I was told of your son's… fondness for his servant when I arrived but seeing it first hand is a moving thing, it's a rare sight to behold a friendship of such mixed classes to be allowed."

With this statement and the confirmation of Uther's battle of inner anger from his clenched jaw and darken gaze Cirion slipped into his next phase with an air of ignorance to the emotions he had brought on the King, "Anyway on the topic of servants, I've enquired about my need of one to your son and he agreed to take me to the servants quarters later," He tilted his head as if observing the room and added in an off-handed manner, "I actually tried to take his boy into my service first, but of course I didn't realise he was already taken on for duties –"

Uther knuckles cracked as his grip on the goblet tighten at the man's continuing sentences, he stared straight ahead as he hissed in a stern voice, "I'm sure my son can do without his servant for a few days, there'll be no need for you to visit the servant quarters later." Then the King drained his goblet in one large sweep and crashed it back onto the table; melting into a nearby conversation with a strained laugh. The man didn't notice Cirion's satisfied expression and predatory gaze that had slid to once again rest on the blonde prince.

* * *

><p>Arthur woke to the sound of his door closing; he could hear a gentle scuffle of feet make their way around the room and a light tapping as objects were moved from their random positions on the floor to their rightful places on the furniture.<p>

The prince grabbed his pillow and shoved it on top of his head; his sleepy mind just managing to wonder why Merlin was choosing this hour to be tidy. Just as he was about to tell his friend just what he thought of his early morning spring clean a sudden realisation came over him and he froze on the bed, _that's not Merlin._

Arthur automatically scouted for his friend across the castle and felt him in the south wing on the top floor, he swiped over his presence in worry but he couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary; there was the normal fatigue even if it did feel slightly stronger yet again, but apart from that simply general emotions, although his levels of frustration seemed a bit higher, and was that a prickle of fear?

The prince felt a slight pressure on the end of his bed as a breakfast tray was set on the covers; as soon as the metal was placed Arthur had lunged at the person in his room and had them pushed into the wall by the throat.

A muddy brunette boy with a fully freckled face and dull grey eyes that were currently widened in fear shakily stared back at the prince, his trembling hands clinging into the prince's wrists, trying to stop them from putting any more pressure on his neck.

"Why's Merlin not here?" Arthur hissed at the frightened boy, his grip tightening as he spoke. The servant shook his head as much as he could and attempted to stammer an answer but the prince's hound like gaze had caught him and he couldn't think properly. As Arthur's hands forced even more pressure onto the boy when he failed to give him information a sudden sweep of tiredness overcame him and he collapsed to the floor, allowing the servant to run away from the prince's reach and hide behind the table at the other end of the room.

Arthur groaned and placed a hand on his head; he could hardly stand from the fatigue but as soon as it had come, it went and instead a blast of disappointment and reprimand hit him and the prince realised that Merlin had just sent his full fatigue levels at him as a way to rescue the young servant Arthur had unjustly attacked.

_How can someone be that tired?_ Arthur crawled up onto his knees and stayed there, sending apologetic waves at his friend; _I guess I was over-reacting by a bit._ But that still didn't tell Arthur why his noble hearted friend wasn't currently by his side. He focused in on Merlin's presence and tried to zone in on the boy's emotions; his eyes screwed up in concentration and his hands balled into fists as the young warlock had come to be very talented at hiding certain things from Arthur through the connection.

Arthur once again sensed all the normal emotions that came with the boy who was Merlin but then he felt that trickle of fear creeping underneath the outer layer of feelings. Arthur strained his mind harder and dug further into his friend's layers; searching for the unexplained fear he was sensing. Every few moments the fear spiked before levelling back down to a constant vibe; but it wasn't leaving the warlocks mind.

_Why's he scared? What's there to be frightened of in the south wing…_ then the answer hit him like a ton of bricks and a natural protectiveness coursed through his body. Arthur leapt to his feet and sprinted out of the room with an inhumane growl sounding in the bottom of his throat.

The frightened and now confused servant watched his master's strange silence on the floor and jumped when the prince sprinted from the room with a red fury in his eyes. After a few minutes of tense silence the young boy slowly started to pick up items from the floor once more, keeping a cautious eye on the open door in case the unbalanced prince came back. That's when a couple of certain items that lay folded neatly on the end of the royal bed caught his eye; the prince had left without his clothes.

* * *

><p>Merlin stood back straight, hands clasped and head bowed; the stance of a typical servant. But this servant had his own will and although his head was dropped his narrowing gaze held firmly on the King, refusing to submit to the man's authority. The young warlock had been separated from his comfortable yet scruffy attire and forced into a rough material that made a tunic and trousers, each which were too small for the boy so dug into his skin; the evidence already prominent from the red blotchy scratches that could be observed around the wrist cuffs and neck line.<p>

The King that was the cause of Merlin's discomfort was leaning over a wooden table on which lay a large collection of swords that had just arrived from the armoury.

"Well they seem to have been fully sharpened to the naked eye," Cirion remarked as he glanced back to the servant who was visually struggling to withhold spiting words, he chuckled and picked up the nearest sword, "But I think they'll need to be tested just to be positive." The King smirked at the flicker of fear in the boy's eyes and stalked towards him, swinging the sword menacingly in his hand. Then without warning, he swung at the servant.

Merlin only just stopped himself from crying out as the metal flew towards him but he couldn't help the flinch as he felt the sweep of air from the passing sword. The sharpened metal sliced through the sleeve of his tunic and a piece of rough clothe fluttered to the floor; Merlin closed his eyes in relief as no pain admitted on his skin and he forcibly pushed his magic back down, _this would be the worst person to find out my secret. _

Cirion frowned at the boy's lack of reaction so instead slid the sword across the skin of his cheek; leaning forward and whispering, "So, does this one pass the test?"

Merlin tensed as the monster approached him and cursing his untamed tongue starkly replied in a bored tone, "Well it did just cut through my top, so what do you think?"

The King hissed in anger at the servant's confident response and lowered the sword; digging it into the boy's neck with such pressure that Merlin was afraid to swallow. "You think you're funny boy? Well I'll remind you that you're not with your precious prince anymore and funny servants don't sit well with me." Merlin didn't drop the King's black gaze and bore as much of his hate for the evil man into his eyes as possible; the King simply raised a mocking eyebrow and lean closer into him, his next word hardly audible, "Understand?"

Merlin opened his mouth and was about to tell the man just what he understood when the wooden doors to the chamber burst open and a shirtless, messy haired blonde prince stormed into the room and at the sight of Cirion holding a sword to Merlin's neck, cried in rage and flung himself at the startled King.

Cirion quickly recovered from the prince's dramatic entrance and swiped his sword into the prince's on coming path; stopping the boy in his tracks but not lowering the rage on his face. "Take your hands off him Cirion!"

Merlin's eyes widen in worry for his friend as he knew his anger would lead his actions and the boy had no defence with him; he wasn't even dressed for goodness sake! The warlock quickly lowered his breathing rate and brought a calmness into him which he then sent along to his friend. Merlin saw Arthur's face relax but in consequence he received a glare to tell him, _don't control my emotions!_

Cirion laughed at the prince's words and slapped his hand on Merlin's shoulder to spite Arthur even further, but making sure the sword stayed between himself and the muscled prince. "Temper, temper goldey; I don't think your father would be impressed with your morning attitude right now."

Arthur bristled at the sound of the long term nickname the King had chosen to mock him with over the years and his tone came out low with warning, "And I don't think my father would be impressed with your stealing of my manservant."

The prince felt Merlin's flash of annoyance from being referred to as a possession but Arthur glanced at him, raising his eyebrows as to say, _really? Now?_

Merlin rolled his eyes but sent a flow of admittance; before inclining his head back to Cirion to tell his friend to just focus on the conversation at hand. The King didn't notice the quick looks between the boys and forcibly pushed Merlin behind him as he cautiously moved towards his desk, his sword never leaving the prince's bare torso. He took his hand off the servant's shoulder but continued to stand in the boy's path so he had nowhere to go; then with his free hand he picked up a roll of parchment that lay among the pile of letters thrown across the desk.

"Well I think this letter from your father speaks differently." Cirion threw the letter at the prince and triumphantly smirked as Arthur's eyes absorbed the words on the parchment, he outwardly laughed when the tightening of the boy's jaw showed he had received the letter's message. "Your father kindly gave me the use of your boy here," Cirion drew his sword away from Arthur and back onto Merlin, lightly stroking his arm with the metal blade; relishing in the anger and fright in the prince's eyes, "So if you'll be on your way and leave me to my tasks, I'm sure you'll avoid trouble with Uther."

Arthur clenched his fist and moved as if to strike the smug King but with a flash of gold his hand suddenly froze in its position and instead the prince threw yet another glare at his friend.

Merlin shrugged his shoulders in a term of, _well you told me not to control your emotions._ Merlin felt Arthur's sigh of exasperation but he knew that if Arthur harmed Cirion they would both pay for it in different ways, for now it seemed they would have to play by the King's rules. Merlin flicked his eyes towards the door and gave his friend a pleading wave; he could feel the prince's disagreement but the prince turned towards the door anyway.

As Arthur reached the door way he stopped and looked back at his friend; still feeling the fear deep inside his mind he tried to send as much reassurance as he could to the brave boy but it was a hard trait when he was feeling just as scared as Merlin; he didn't trust Cirion one bit.

He slowly left the room, and without turning around his cold voice swam back to the King's ears, the tone sending a sense of forbearing down the man's spine, "You hurt him, you'll regret it." Then with that threat Arthur forced himself to leave his friend in the hands of a revengeful King.

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please review :) x<em>


	10. Crimson Puddle

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer: **Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline is mine

* * *

><p><span><strong>Crimson Puddle<strong>

* * *

><p>The prince stood next to his father, watching the precise and accurate movements of his knights as they relayed their newly learnt techniques to the judging King. Uther was an image of clear nobility and had a fresh determined face which called the knights to perform at their best to highlight their strengths as well as the strengths of their teacher.<p>

But their teacher was looking far from strong as he surveyed the scene with an unfocused eye; the past days his mind had seemed to always be somewhere else. This along with the pale skin, bagged eyes and half-starved appearance it was assumed from the facts that the disappearance of the prince's friend and shadow had a part to play in his downfall.

* * *

><p>Merlin was a well-loved character throughout Camelot for his helpful doings and kind nature, so the glimpses of the poor boy as he ran to do a stream of endless chores for his new master were met with anger. His face was deathly pale, so much that in the nights air he could easily be mistaken for a phantom , also his normal sparkling eyes were hideously blood-shot, his skin was red and course from the torturous clothes that had been forced upon his body and over all the life had gone from his soul.<p>

This unjust treatment had lit the citizens hate for King Cirion; wherever he walked he was met with glares and cold manners but, due to the fact that as the poor there wasn't much they could do to stand against the visiting royal, the citizens had come to make their rise through benefitting actions towards the victimised servant instead.

The people of the lower town would shield Merlin from the King for the few minutes he could hide, coaxing him to eat the little food they had and cleaning him up with wet rags. The one factor that these people had become used to but still didn't understand was that whenever Merlin managed to find a minute of rest in a welcoming house, the prince would be at his side seconds later. No one knew how the prince found his servant each time so quickly without fail, but there were theories that he had guards watching the boy at all times and reporting back, although such guards were never seen by the curious eyes.

Words never passed between the two boys during these visits; the prince would simply kneel by his friend's side gripping his shoulder in support, though support for who was uncertain. It was breaking the people's hearts to see the pain in their prince's eyes; he was deflating alongside his servant, when one cried so did the other, when one flinched the other followed; it was as they were connected in some way.

Arthur could vaguely sense the knights fighting in front of him and felt the nipping thought that he should care about his men's performance for the King; but the only thing the prince could focus on was his friend who was currently in the stables, presumably singularly cleaning out the stalls yet again.

Since Merlin had been torn from his side three days ago Arthur didn't once take his focus off his friend's presence, he might not be able to rescue him from Cirion's clutches but that defiantly didn't mean he was going to leave him alone. Arthur could feel what keeping himself so deeply emerged in the connection was doing to him, all the fear and weakness Merlin was experiencing every second was equally being felt by the prince, and it wasn't doing any good for his health. His friend had fallen with three more of the unexplained fatigue attacks over the past days and Arthur wasn't there to help, it was frightening him to no end; he had considered asking Gaius on the matter but that would mean revealing the connection; although as the minutes ticked by Arthur was considering informing the physician of their situation more and more.

But despite Merlin's weak protests for Arthur to not punish himself also in the brief moments they got to talk, he didn't draw out of the connection at all; he couldn't help feel that Merlin's pain was his fault and he deserved equal punishment, after all Cirion was only hurting his friend to hurt him; Merlin had become a pawn in the revengeful game.

With this thought Arthur glanced at his father in spite; the man was standing disconnected and uninterested in the hardship that was currently unfolding around him and obviously affecting his only son. But he wasn't expecting any sympathy from the man; after all, it was him who had caused Merlin's current situation.

* * *

><p>The doors to the throne room burst open and crashed against the walls, their rapid opening blowing various papers on the end of the table across the floor. Uther and the few councillors huddled over him jumped in surprise and looked up in shock to see a fuming prince standing in the doorway with only his night wear trousers covering his body.<p>

Uther stood in rage and slammed his fist onto the table as he opened his mouth to reprimand his son, "Arthur! What do you…" But the prince cut through his father's anger and replaced it with his own.

"Why is Merlin in the hands of that monster?!" Arthur's passionate voice echoed throughout the room and his hand accusingly flung in the direction of where he had unwillingly left his friend.

The King's eyes darkened at his son's choice of topic and he spoke with cold authority, "Leave us!" The still astonished councillors broke to life at their King's demand and quickly scurried out of the room, happy to leave the firing range of the eminent argument that was about to enfold.

As soon as they were alone Uther dropped his controlled expression and his features changed to show his frustration, "Is that a way to speak about your guest?"

Arthur punched the table and spat out in a wild nature, "He's no guest of mine! I didn't want him in 100 yards of Camelot and I certainly don't want him a mere 5 yards from Merlin!"

Uther's emotions grew at his son's words and his tone heightened, "Stop referring to the boy by that name! He is just staff!"

The prince tensed in anger and his voice reflected his physical state, "He may be staff but that still gives him a right to a name! And _Merlin,_" He put emphasis on the name to spite the King, "is in my service, not that despicable man's!"

Uther's face reddened in fury as he shouted at his son, "The boy's a servant Arthur! His job is to serve so I see it to be no business of yours if he assigned to a visiting noble for a temporary period of time!"

Arthur strode towards his father and his tone continued to increase in volume, "Well he's my personal servant and therefore I should have say in his placement, and he is not working for Cirion!"

"I'll think you'll find that as the King I have the final say over all matters! And that boy is being treated too softly by your hands; Cirion's methods will do him good!" Uther moved a few inches from his son's face and firmly pointed his gloved finger in warning at the infuriated boy, "He is a servant Arthur, nothing more."

The prince's expression faltered at the King's accusation but he quickly covered himself and spoke in a neutral tone, "I know that."

Uther frowned at his son and strode away from the boy; flinging his arms to the air in anger and raising his voice once more so that his rage seemed to strike from every corner of the room, "I don't think you do! You spend every waking second with the boy, laugh with him, joke with him, let him eat off your plate!" The King swung back around, his eyes blazing with a heated rage, "For goodness sake you are running around the castle in public indecency on this boy's behalf! People have noticed your fondness for this… servant!" He spat the word as if it was a curse, "You are the crown prince to my kingdom! You do not mingle with the lower classes unless they are serving you or being presented to you at the weekly opening of the court room!" The King finished with a gasping breath, the strength of his anger weakening his aging body, leaving him slumped over the edge of the table for support. He took a second to calm himself, before walking back to the head of the room with the dignity returned to his stride and lowering back into his chair; picking up some letters and reading through them as if the passing situation wasn't occurring.

Uther glanced up to where his son stood shaking and red faced, he ignored this and casually addressed the boy, "The servant will stay in Cirion's services for the remainder of his visit and you will not approach him or threaten his new master in any way." He saw Arthur open his mouth to argue but he raised his hand and caught the boy's gaze, holding it for a few seconds before he threateningly murmured, "And if you do, the boy will pay."

Arthur's eyes flashed in pain at his father's words and he grit his teeth in betrayal and anger; swinging around he made his way out of the room but once again stopped at the door way and left another cold message to the second person to threaten Merlin that day, "And if my friend is hurt in any way; you'll pay." Then with that he slid from the room, leaving the King to furiously overturn the table in a cry of rage at his son's attitude and admittance of friendship with a poor and pitiful servant.

* * *

><p>The relationship between father and son had been strained from that moment and Uther had kept Arthur by his side with meaningless tasks and events as much as possible; reducing any chance of him finding his way to the servant; though the King didn't know that this unwanted course had been happening anyway.<p>

"You have been training them well." Uther complimented without turning his head to acknowledge the boy he was addressing. Arthur merely gave a hum of response; this did draw the King's attention and he turned to witness his son's vacant expression and unseeing eyes; the few days lack of focus was beginning to drive the man's patience. "Arthur, are you even listening to me?"

The prince could hear the familiar close-by noise, but he couldn't pick out the individual words from the dull drone, for Merlin's fear had just risen to double its level and Arthur was trying his hardest to calm his own worries and pass on reassurance to his scared friend whilst simultaneously attempting to retain his blank expression so to not draw suspicion from those around him.

Suddenly a tremendous sharp pain stabbed in his left arm and Arthur cried out; breaking any attempt to remain inconspicuous as he clutched at his skin as he felt it slice open. Uther's annoyance towards his son vanished at the sound of the boy's painful scream and he knelt to his side, his eye's flashing with worry, "Arthur? Arthur, what is it? What's wrong?"

The prince ignored his father's frantic questions and bit his lip to suffocate yet enough cry of pain; his arm felt as if it were on fire, the pain that a freshly drawn sword cut produced. He reached for his arm sleeve and carefully slid the material up to see where his sudden injury had come from, but as his flesh came into view through his blurred sight Arthur saw his healthy, undamaged skin sitting before him. At the sight of the unbroken skin the logical part of his mind began to fight for dominance and the pain faltered down to a dull drumming sensation; but as his thoughts cleared from the pain, his friend's own chaotic emotions and upset hit Arthur, _Merlin!_

The prince's gaze snapped up to the castle and time seemed to slow down as the surrounding scenery melted away; leaving the castle from where the warlock's torturous pain was firing as the only defined landscape. Without another conscious thought, Arthur leapt off the ground and sprinted across the grounds towards the castle; a burning rage on his face that caused the people in his path to fling themselves to the side of the roads in fear.

Uther pushed himself up in a confused anger at his son's unexplained antics, momentarily forgetting his dignified blank façade and shouting after the prince, "Arthur come back here at once! Your duties are not completed! Arthur Pendragon!" But the prince was deaf to all shouts and gasps as his mind stayed fixed on his endangered friend.

* * *

><p>Arthur flung himself into Cirion's chambers to see Merlin curled up in the corner of the room clutching at his left arm; he could see blood dripping from between his friend's fingers and a crimson puddle seeping into his diseased tunic .<p>

"Merlin!" Arthur cried in despair and rushed over to the warlock, sliding next to him and tenderly touching his injured arm. _What happened?_ Arthur felt his friend's emotions lower slightly at the familiar sense of the prince's voice inside his head. Then in response to his question a sudden string of images flashed through his mind showing how Merlin had dropped an ornament and during the King's insults had made a comment that compared the man to Arthur, then how that had led to the royal swinging at Merlin in an anger driven retaliation.

Arthur felt a burning hatred consume him as the images flickered through his own mind, but on looking down at his friend's weak pained state, he swallowed his revengeful desire and attempted to push a blanket of serenity onto the injured warlock instead.

_What have I said about telling people how much you adore me,_ the prince signed in exasperation; Merlin chuckled through his pain at Arthur's attempt to lighten the situation.

_Well since I'm the only one who does__, it figures that I have to highlight you as much as possible,_ Merlin teasingly replied, but even his thoughts came out weak. Arthur frowned as Merlin hissed when his arm shifted and the prince quickly ripped off the corner of his shirt; wrapping it gently around the boy's cut to try and lower the blood loss. _See, I do pay some attention when you treat people._

Merlin faintly smiled; _well at least that gives me some hope._ The boy could feel his eye lids getting heavier and he tried to keep them open, focusing on the face of his friend above. Arthur felt Merlin's faintness as it grew stronger and gently moved his arms under the fallen boy, _now don't get any ideas_, he teasingly thought as he manoeuvred his hands under Merlin to get a grip on him.

Merlin felt himself leave the ground in his half-consciousness and he let his head fall to the side, cushioning into his friend's chest, _oh you'd be so lucky._

Arthur smiled at his friend's quiet response, a small sense of relief was coming back to him with Merlin's witty answers, _if he can still be annoying then he'll be fine._

_I heard that_, came a soft murmur. Arthur fondly shook his head and turned to make his way out of the chambers but instead, found himself staring at an amused Cirion who was lounging in his chair behind his desk, his legs casually resting on the table and his hands placed behind his head. A still bloodied sword shamelessly lying in front of him.

Arthur clutched Merlin tighter to his chest at the sight of the man and his eyes blazed with untamed aggression; the warlock felt his friend's sudden change in attitude and his thoughts dimly slipped in, _oh yeah, Cirion's still here._

Despite Arthur's anger he mentally rolled his eyes at his friend's forgetfulness, _thanks for telling me. _The King of topic took this moment to interrupt the unknown conversation and he smirked at the prince, speaking in a tone of humour, "Well at least you're clothed this time goldey."

Arthur took a step backwards towards the door and replied in a dangerous pitch, "Well you're lucky that Merlin's currently blocking my path to ripping your head off."

Cirion laughed at the prince's aggression and kicked his legs off the table, swinging them to the floor with a thud and leaning forward, placing his chin in his hands with a mocking expression, "Did I hurt the prince's toy?"

Arthur growled at the King's remark but Merlin's faint voice stroked his mind, _please_ _leave him, I just want to go._ The prince paused in his forming plan to throw the King out of the open window and glanced down to the weak boy at his chest. His heart weighed out his revengeful nature and he simply spat at the King before quickly leaving the room with his friend cradled in his arms.

Cirion smirked as he watched the prince's back disappear down the corridor, he let him leave with his boy with no complaint; he'd achieved all the damage he could do to the prince over the past days through retaining his servant, and he would go and inform Uther that he wouldn't need the servant anymore later that afternoon. The King now had a bigger plan, one that would stab straight through the prince's undeserving heart.

* * *

><p>The night air was cold and sharp; the trees groaned in pain as the wind cut through their branches. The forest itself was silent, not even a rustle of an animal sounded; the only life in the area was a finely dressed man who stood in resemblance of a statue, gazing at the flickering of the torches admitting from within the city walls of the kingdom of Camelot.<p>

A sudden rustle of leaves broke through the eerie silence and a human body stumbled out of a nearby bush. The King didn't move a muscle as the new comer scrabbled around on the floor and eventually picked himself up; the twigs and leaves now hanging from his dark mattered hair that hung wildly down to his shoulders, adding to his savage look. The grubby faced man slowly made his way towards the frozen King and he nervously twisted his frayed top in his black finger-nailed hands, the nerves greatly contrasting his dangerous look.

"Sire," The man's voice was gruff and he bowed his head in a sign of respect or fear for the royal, "I heard the message you sent back to the people of Lorem." He swallowed and his right eye twitched at the King's unresponsive nature, "Um, and…well," The man stuttered as a fear took hold of him.

Rapidly Cirion had spun and grabbed the man by his neck, slamming him against the nearest tree and leaning towards him, his eyes piercing into his cowering gaze, "I don't have all night scrounger," his voice was frighteningly gentle and slid with the venom of a snake, "Tell me what information you know of Arthur Pendragon."

The man flinched at the King's proximity and he spoke quickly, although his voice trembled with each word, "It's not Pendragon who I have information on," Cirion growled and dug his nails into the man's neck causing him to screech his explanation in a scratchy air deprived voice, "But it is about his servant!"

At this remark the King drew his hands from the man's neck so they were just lingering above the skin, "Describe him."

The shaken man licked his dry lips and flicked his eyes to the floor, the King's unnerving gleeful gaze sending a shiver down his spine, "Pale, black scruffy hair, um… he was wearing a brown jacket and he had a blue neckerchief and…" The King cut him off with a manic chuckle; it seemed he had hit the jackpot.

Cirion released the scared man and stepped away, wiping his hands against the hem of his tunic as if worried he would catch an illness from the scruffy bandit, but he spoke with apprehension, "What do you know about the servant?"

The man nervously scratched his arm, the people of Lorem had heard of the King's strange behaviour and violent nature but since the death of the prince and queen their ruler was never seen, so there was never any clarification; the kingdom had to run itself, which was the reason it had turned to a land of bandits and thieves. This bandit certainly was seeing where the rumours about their King had come from; the royal seemed to be an anger ridden lunatic.

"Well it was quite a while ago now, but me and some of the guys were running an attack, on the Pendragon boy no less," The man gave a nervous cough as the King's eyes grew harder, obviously not impressed by the narrative, "Well they all died, only me and another got away…"

Cirion cried in rage and smacked the man across the face; he fell to the floor in agony as the King's ring sliced his cheek, "I know of Pendragon's fighting skills! Do not mock me with such information!" The King moved to strike the bandit again but the bleeding man threw his hands in front of his face and desperately screamed, "It wasn't the prince who killed them!"

The shout stopped the King's on coming attack and for once the man was silenced in surprise, "The boy?" Cirion frowned in confusion, "He has no strength or special skills; you're mistaken!"

The grubby man smirked at having caught out the mighty King and this sent him a stab of confidence; he grabbed the royals arm, drawing him in closer and menacingly whispering, "No; but he has magic."

* * *

><p>Cirion quietly chuckled to himself as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and tenderly wiped the magician's blood from his sword; by the end of the week, Arthur would be crushed and his boy dead.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed, please review :) x<em>


	11. A New Threat

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer:** Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline belongs to me

The curse of exams is too close for comfort meaning updates will be longer - but I'll do my best!

Thankyou so much for the people that have reviewed and the people who have favourited or put it on story alert, and to those people who aren't logged in so I can't reply to, a very special thank you - it all means so much to me xx

I hope you enjoy it x

A New Threat

Arthur's face was carved into an expression of predatory anger; his eyes blazing, a vein pumping in his tensed neck and he had to use every inch of will power to force his feet to continue striding down the corridor instead of turning around so he could beat that smug monster into a broken heap.

A light buzzing noise stroked through his violent imagery and Arthur drew his attention back to the deathly pale boy clutched to his chest. He was holding Merlin at a slight angle towards him so that the warlock's injured arm was tucked into his torso rather than limply swinging in the air like his other one.

_Merlin? Did you say something?_ Arthur gently asked as he re-positioned his worryingly dead-weighted friend in his arms.

Yet again the same buzzing sound entered his mind and Arthur's concern spiked. He could barely feel any emotions, minus a near catatonic state and with Merlin's increasing lack of response the prince felt like the boy was dying in his arms!

_Merlin! Merlin stay with me! Keep listening to my voice! _Arthur desperately begged; tearing his teeth into his lower lip in an attempt to stop the water surfacing in his eyes. He doubled his paces and strode as fast as he deemed safe enough that ensured he didn't move Merlin too much; although his instincts were screaming at him to sprint through the castle until his heart gave out.

As he made a sharp turn around the next pillar he stole a glance down at Merlin; the boy's eyes were closed and his head was curved into Arthur's shirt, if it weren't for the gashing cut on his left arm and the fact that the blood had seeped into the prince's now sickening red tunic, he could be in a peaceful slumber. _Just try and talk to me Merlin, focus on my mind, we'll get to Gaius in a few minutes._

Since the first time they had connected to each other's minds, they'd had an unspoken decision that Gaius wasn't going to be informed about any of the new findings. This self-promise hadn't been broken over the 3 weeks the two boys had been privately chatting, laughing and forming a bond so powerful that Arthur couldn't imagine how everyone else existed without such a relationship. But during the past weeks especially, Arthur had been mulling over the idea of telling Gaius about the connection as Merlin had become increasingly drained and tired. The servant may have thought that Arthur had been excepting his excuses of bad diets and lack of sleep, as the prince had been careful with his thoughts while in the warlock's presence, but Arthur knew that a lack of chicken slices and shut eye couldn't affect someone as drastically as it had Merlin.

That last sentence managed to trigger any remains of Merlin's consciousness and a forced whisper crawled into Arthur's mind, _not… Gaius._

The prince growled at his friend's ability to be stubborn even when on the verge of life and his word's lost their soothing tone and melted into a command_, I've allowed you to keep falling into this state for too long; we are telling Gaius!_

He felt his tunic rub across his skin as Merlin moved and Arthur looked down to see his friend's cloudy blue eyes staring up at him, fixing him with a hard gaze that was backed up by a sense of determination that had somehow risen above the fatigue.

_No… Gaius, or use… magic…force._ Despite the weakness of his words Arthur could feel that Merlin was serious, and he could already see the rims of the boy's eyes swimming into their natural golden form.

_For goodness sake Merlin!_ Arthur cursed, but he came to a halt anyway. It wasn't that he feared Merlin would hurt him, he was afraid that the boy would damage himself if he attempted even the smallest of magic in his current state; so against Arthur's desire and conscious, he would have to follow Merlin's shots.

The warlock felt his friend's defeat and he managed a small smile at his triumph. Knowing he'd brought some time, he allowed himself to momentarily slump back against the prince's soaked shirt and there was a silent pause as Merlin dug into his own mind, latching onto his core magic; letting it flow through his body and feed him the energy he was fighting for. Such practice had become a common used technique over the past weeks and it worked perfectly; although, Merlin couldn't help the flicker of doubt that appeared in the back of his mind each time he did use it, as his magic seemed to reach out less and less with each pulling.

After a couple of minutes, Merlin once again opened his eyes with less needed strength, and with a clumsy wriggle, he released himself from Arthur's arms; only to have them wrapped around him a few seconds later as he stumbled on his legs.

_Merlin, you are being ridiculous! Let me just help you to Gaius._ Arthur was now becoming exasperated with his friend's antics, and simply because the boy had achieved the action of standing, it didn't mean he was willing to just let him wander off as if everything was fine.

His stubborn friend shook the offending arms off and took a couple of steps away from the prince as if to prove a point, "Arthur, I'm fine. I don't need Gaius."

His voice still wasn't as full and strong as Arthur would have liked it, but he felt his argument slowly fading and Merlin must have felt it too as he smirked in victory. "Thanks for saving me by the way," he continued, swiftly changing the topic from the lines of his guardian.

Arthur's attempt to not be baited by his friend's gratitude and open smile only managed a few seconds of a hard glare before he dropped his head and signed; he would never understand how an harden prince could be defeated by a servant's wide eyes and innocent smile_, I really need to work on keeping my stand around that boy._

"Yeah, well," the prince uncomfortably shook off the praise and stepped forward to place his hand on Merlin's shoulder_, just try not to anger him again; I don't think me killing a guest will go down well with my father. _

He felt Merlin squirm uncomfortably at his comment, but that was the difference between them; Merlin always tried to avoid violence wherever possible, whilst Arthur followed a motto of punching the nearest object, and in this case, Cirion would make the perfect punch bag.

_Arthur don't cause any trouble with Cirion, I can look after myself, just let it go this time_, Merlin pleaded, but his thought was followed by a shot of pain and the boy verbally hissed as his left arm shifted and a wisp of air passed over the cut.

Arthur flinched along with his friend and his eyebrows burrowed in concern; he fluently ripped another strip of clothe from the end of his tunic, gently taking Merlin's arm and attaching the fabric to the already soaked material wrapped around the cut; creating a scruffy arm sling_. Now go and find someone to sort that out, I won't make you see Gaius but I will make you find another physician. _

Merlin dropped Arthur's demanding yet worried gaze and shifted his feet with a wave of guilt; for all his friend had done for him, he wasn't being very appreciative. _Sorry, but don't worry. I'll fix it up with magic, it'll be gone soon._

The warlock felt Arthur's suspicion towards his ability to currently do magic, but he quickly pushed the proof of his own uncertainty behind the metaphorical wall in his mind and gave Arthur a wave of confidence. Merlin sensed his friend's mental search straight away; his pupils dilated and he nervously swallowed as a gentle buzz tapped against his mental wall, he tensed as the force increased but luckily Arthur decided the boy was telling the truth and retreated.

_Well… make sure you sort it out straight away then_, Arthur still sounded uncertain but Merlin could sense his want to let him go and heal himself outweighing his desire to obtain factual evidence on the warlock's condition.

Merlin quickly grasped his friend's moment of weakness and took the opportunity to glance across Arthur's shoulder, sending waves of disbelief and wonderment at the boy. In natural response the prince flicked his head in the direction of Merlin's gaze, but on witnessing no event of purpose turned back to instead witness his servant's black mop of hair disappearing around the corner; a lingering vibration of amusement and apology in the air.

Arthur pursed his lips and rolled his eyes at his friend's independent stubbornness, the boy had just been lying in his arms half dead after a brutal attack yet he was prancing around the castle as if the whole world was perfect. He felt the compelling urge to follow the boy and bore him with a lecture on the dangers of singular travel following three days of service with Cirion, or simply tackle him to the ground and forcefully drag him to Gaius, but instead he settled on shouting, "If you get attacked, I'm not taking any responsibility!"

As Merlin's humour glided over his mind, he finally let the relief of his friend's safety pass through him and a current of air slowly drew from between his lips. Arthur had always known Cirion was a dangerous man, but he had never been able to harm him with his father around; until now, when a boy who wasn't under the King's protection had come into play. Cirion had found a way to strike Arthur without risk of Uther's fury, whilst simultaneously managing to target the King's rage onto his son instead; the man was becoming too clever for Arthur's liking, and he was worried that the next move in the game would cause damage beyond repair.

* * *

><p>The slam of wood vibrated through the walls as the front door was purposely closed with a powerful force. Merlin whimpered at the piercing acoustics and then groaned at the increased weight of his head in its drained state as he pulled himself into a sitting position.<p>

"Stupid Gaius," the warlock muttered with venom; his guardian's latest wake up method was starting to grate on Merlin's fragile temper. He'd just under gone three torturous days in a psychotic King's service and been slashed open by said King, yet the physician had still woken him with a headache for the past week. Despite words of sympathy and fresh full meals of comfort that had been offered and gratefully accepted during his labour, in these moments, Merlin decided that a simple tap on the shoulder in waking would be much more appreciated.

The boy rolled onto his side in an attempt to force his body out of bed, but he hissed in pain as the pressure fell on his left arm and he felt another round of energy evaporate from his being. _How much more sleep does my body expect? If I close my eyes for any longer I'll simply exist as an unco__n__scious servant! _

Fighting the desire to allow his heavy eyelids to droop together, he pushed out of the bed using the minimal strength in his uninjured arm. He felt his legs crumple beneath him but he tilted his body to the left; allowing the wall to carry his weight.

Merlin groaned with annoyance at the amount of effort such a simple task had taken; Cirion's work had taken a harder toll on him than he'd imagined and if he were to ever admit hatred for any one person, it would be now.

His bloodshot eyes scanned the room for any sign of his blue neckerchief, but instead of blue, his sight found red. The dingy mattered bed placed before Merlin had changed from its stained white colouring to a cracked mud shade; and once he mind had focused on the unknown alter the warlock realised that the new addition wasn't mud, but dried blood!

With this thought, Merlin's gaze slid to his left arm; to witness the consequence of Cirion's blade dripping blood as if the cut had been forged only seconds earlier.

_What…how…_ his vision blurred at the realisation of the extent of blood loss he was currently undergoing; the cut hadn't healed in the slightest. Merlin knew that the injury would still be deep on his awakening as he hadn't been able to heal it the previous night, proving his need for false conviction towards Arthur; _but even if my magic wouldn't work to fully heal the cut, it should have at least stopped the bleeding! For goodness sake, my natural body should have stopped the bleeding!_

His mind whirred with confusion and disbelief, causing the drained warlock to stumble towards the door, his arms outstretched in an attempt to grasp a concept of the spinning room. A rough texture pressed into his skin as his head rolled against the unexpectedly near closed wooden door and he allowed his eyes to slide shut as he reached inside his body for even a drop of energy.

Merlin dragged his hand up to rest on the door handle but with the lack of grip it flopped back down, pulling the rest of the boy's limbs with it and leaving him in a shadow minded heap on the floor. The hand that had dragged him down recognised a softer landing to the rest of Merlin's body; a soft fabric stroked his palm and his fingers sub-consciously clenched around the material, the vaguely familiar texture shooting holes through the boy's fatigue blanket.

With forced effort, one pale blue eye peaked through a thin silt of Merlin's eyelid and his blurred vision managed to draw the outline of the object in his hand, _neckerchief…_

The word caused a mental crash as his servant morals fought past the blood and energy loss, _court room… open… presence, needed…_ as a form of sense started to return, the logical section of his mind clambered into light as well. The recall of the day and time brought with it the remembrance of the weekly open court room that must have already started.

Using his pure will, Merlin dug his nails on his hand that was connected to his fully intact arm into the dents in the door and pulled himself up. Taking a long deep breath the boy swept the knowledge of energy drainage to the back of his mind and felt his senses clear slightly and witnessed the room come to a halt.

_See Merlin… nothing to worry about…_ he mentally convinced himself. The warlock, on deciding he could now trust his legs to move without collapsing was about to make his exit from the room when the rest of his brain cleared slightly, _Arthur's going to notice the cut._

It seemed that the tiredness was affecting Merlin's ability to carry more than one train of thought at a time; glancing down at his limp red smeared arm he felt his mind groan at the strain of having to invent a productive solution. Though understanding that his protective friend would probably already be worrying about his late appearance, especially due to the events of the previous evening, Merlin didn't have time to do anything but grab an old torn up shirt and create a messy make-shift sling; ensuring that the dark material covered any signs of blood or flesh damage.

With a deep breath the warlock slowly opened the door and clumsily swayed in the direction of the court room; fighting the dizziness, blood loss and increasing worry that something unknown had gotten way out of his control with each heavy step.

* * *

><p>The court room was currently filled with a mix of classes; from the homeless beggar and the scrawny mother of six all the way to the King himself. Uther sat on his fine carved throne with a plate of juicy chicken legs on his right side; taunting the hungry citizens of Camelot as they knelt before their ruler in hope of obtaining a grain of care or sympathy for the hardships of their lives and the problems that plagued them.<p>

Arthur stood formally next to his father; every few minutes shuffling his feet or clenching his toes in discomfort and an attempt to continue the blood flow through his already stiff lower half. Normally he would be spending the drooling hours lounging in his own throne before the citizens but it seemed Uther was still punishing his son for the on-going refusal to break ties with a servant, and Cirion's morning news concerning Arthur's abducting of the manservant had given no help towards the situation.

Unsurprisingly the sly royal had shone in his version of the previous day's events; his humble rejection when Merlin was offered back under his command, the story of how he'd calmly allowed a mad-driven and uncontrollable Arthur to insult his honour before dragging the servant from his chambers, all along with the plead to not punish the prince for his outrageous behaviour. Arthur had known Cirion to be deceitful and manipulating, but on witnessing his own father, a wise and cautious man, be weaved by the slimy lies of the visiting King; it caused a stab of dread in his heart.

The only positive aspect to come from Cirion's performance was the fact he'd released Merlin from his service, Arthur felt a reassurance now that there wasn't the need to constantly linger in his friend's mind in fear of his safety; although he couldn't help wonder Cirion's motives for giving up the pale boy, Merlin had been a key threat and bargaining piece in their battle and it caused Arthur to worry that another move had been made without him realising.

This thought brought Arthur to the question of where Merlin was at the moment; he was awake, weak but still awake, meaning that he should currently be leaning against the far pillar making stupid faces in response to the laughable suggestions and answers Uther's advisors were sprouting out for the requests and problems that were being presented.

Suddenly, as if rehearsed, the young warlock took this moment to stumble past a hooded middle age woman entering the room. Turning and muttering hastened words of apology to the woman who was now staring at him with wide eyes, he clumsily backed up into a cold stone pillar, flopping against the hard surface in clear weakness.

Arthur felt his foot automatically move to take him towards his sickly looking friend, but when his father's murderous glare switched from Merlin to his own person, his logic kicked in and he forced his legs to remain frozen and his gaze to slide back to the woman at the entrance of the hall. Though the prince couldn't stop his eyes flicking onto the young boy who was slouched against the far pillar, one arm hastily bundled up in a scrap of cloth and his face as pale as a ghost.

The prince managed to keep his head forward but frowned in response to Merlin's appearance; gaining a puzzled look from the guard positioned in his eye-line, who self-consciously turned around to check if the royal was directing his expression at somebody else. _He looks worse than yesterday_, Arthur reflected; he couldn't understand his friend's state and along with sensing the dimness of his emotions, as if a blanket of fog had been cast over his mind, Arthur's confusion and worry was increasing double-fold.

Merlin could feel his legs trembling as the weight of his body seemingly became a slab of stone; he arched his back slightly to attempt to force the pillar to take his mass for him but it did little to help, _I'm just so tired…_

Forcing his eyes open, the warlock felt his head buzz at the realisation that the room was once again spinning, but somehow the image of his friend still came sharply through, allowing Merlin to take note of the anxious glances Arthur was not too subtly throwing his way. _Right, I'm meant to have healed myself and be back to Mr Bubbly… _Merlin firmly bit the inside of his mouth to force a bodily jerking reaction and managed to use it to push himself fully onto his feet; he also widened his eyes to try and show a form of alertness but instead it just gave him a comical shocked expression.

"And what is your problem?" The powerful tone of Uther Pendragon boomed, drawing Merlin's attention to the actual reason for being in the court room. The poor woman he had almost knocked over with his uncoordinated entrance was quietly stood before the King; her hands folded in front of her dark green cloak which was muddy and tattered around the base showing the evidence of a long journey. She held Uther's gaze with surprising confidence and a hidden smile that looked almost smug; this woman was definitely not from Camelot.

As if sensing Merlin's eyes on her back the woman turned her head to where Merlin stood and upon seeing her gaze, liquid hazel pupils with tiny strands of gold that only a fellow sorcerer would be able to distinguish; he could suddenly sense the waves of magic weaving off her.

The young warlock stumbled back into the stone support, mentally cursing himself for not recognising the sorceress on sight, _I should have been able to feel her the moment she touched the castle p__e__rimeter! _Merlin could feel his heart beat quickening with his mind streaming numerous plans, reasoning's and tactics all at once; his eyes frantically flickering from the new threat to where his oblivious friend stood, alone, unprotected, practically screaming "Come and kill me!"

Despite the still mild sense of logic shouting, _I can barely stand and only have one available arm due to the fact I've lost the ability to heal a simple skin wound_, along with a semi-amused voice whispering, _how ironic is this timing_, Merlin flung his body towards his friend. Unfortunately it was a pitiful action, meaning he only managed to land a few paces from his original point; collapsing against the neighbouring pillar. Gritting his teeth, he desperately repeated the action; obtaining the same result.

The boy was becoming increasingly panicked; he snapped his head around to where the woman stood, still staring at him with a gaze of curiosity and deep purpose. _Oh who cares about Uther, this is getting me nowhere! _Opening his mouth, while keeping his gaze firmly stuck on the target, Merlin drew in a sharp breath to shout a warning to the prince.

_Wait Emrys. _

Merlin almost choked on his own breath at the sound of a soft voice inside his head; it felt different, wrong, uncomfortable and not Arthur's. Staring at the sorceress, he didn't respond, instead keeping his body tensed in preparation to spring in the pathway to Arthur; however useless the dive may be.

_Do not take actions before I have spoken Emrys,_ the voice chimed as it swept through his mind, _I a__s__sure you, I will bring no harm to your Nexa. _

The last word caught Merlin and his stance mistakenly relaxed as he puzzled on the unknown noun; _my what?_

A flash of confusion flashed across the sorceress' face, _you mean you don't know what…_ she seemed momentarily lost which allowed a private thought to break across the mental link, _this is worse than he assumed._

_Than who thought?_ Merlin pounced on the woman's thought track, he didn't care if she knew his Druid given name; a sense of being out of the loop agitated him and currently he had no patience for subtle research, _what are you talking about? Why are you here? Who sent you? What's a Nexa? _ The string of demands poured out of the warlock's mind; seemingly his lack of balance and magical ability was also affecting his normal control over the thoughts he would send out, killing his possibility to seem more knowing than he actually was.

The only evidence of the woman being affected by the mental stabs was a lingering blink; but the serene voice swiftly continued with its silky overtone_, I am not the one to answer your questions Emrys, though I may tell you that by Nexa I was referring to the prince…_ Merlin frowned at his friend's new mysterious title, _and that also I was sent here to warn you of a threat that has arisen. _

_There's a new threat in Camelot? Do you know where? _His mind started to try and run through the past days to find any signs that a new creature or curse had emerged in the city,_ I need to find it b__e__fore Arthur's safety is jeopardised… _he felt the panic rise in his chest once more, it had already been proven that he was no match for any creature or being at the moment, if an attack arrived now, he would have to simply sit on the side lines and cheer on the knights, _oh why can't this stupid illness just disappear already!_

A sharp hiss pierced Merlin's fountain of distress and he barely swallowed down the moan it caused; he shot a glare at his attacker but she dismissed his discomfort with an impatient stare. _Emrys I don't have much time; just listen. _

Seeing she wasn't going to get a disturbance from the annoyed warlock, she continued, _you speak of an illness that currently inhabits you; symptoms of fatigue, limb weakness and if dire, magical loss?_

Merlin gave a slight nod, _how does she know?_

_You have been watched for weeks now Emrys, but these symptoms are from no illness._ Her voice steeped in depth and her eyes hardened with her words, _your combinational spell was sensed by my master and though it has done much good, it is achieving more harm; the arisen threat I speak of is not a third party… it is you._

This accusation almost caused Merlin to shout out-loud denial; he could feel where the blood would be running to his cheeks in rage, if his blood supply wasn't currently leaking out of his arm. _You… how… what? I would never hurt Arthur! Do you even realise who you're blaming? How can you…_

_I am not alleging that you will cause direct harm to the prince;_ her tone strengthened to drone out the fury of the warlock, _but am speaking of the indirect consequences that will befall him due to harm that is befalling yourself._

_Your spell is the object of your 'illness' and must be rectified,_ Merlin leaned into the sorceress' words, although having no proof of her explanation, he felt that she was speaking the truth; he thought he could hear some faint shouting behind her voice but he blocked it out quickly, _you must go to the Caves of Animas; there you will find The Keepay. He will help you but you must act quickly as…_

The sorceress was suddenly flung from Merlin's eye-line as two guards threw her to the ground; dis-consorted, he only just zoned into the redden cry of Uther Pendragon, "You dare stand before your King and ignore him, and instead spend your time staring at a lowly servant!" The man threw a murderous glare at Merlin; likely adding to his mental list of reasons to kill his sons servant, "What is it you want peasant!"

With a fire in her eyes, the woman shook off the guards and stood gracefully with an aura of dignity; lifting her head, she matched the King's gaze with ease and a pleasant smile, "Thank you for your time Your Majesty." Then with a light bow, the hidden sorceress glided from the room, leaving a befuddled yet fuming King in her wake.

Merlin felt his legs moving before he could start to comprehend his actions; all he knew was that he vitally needed more information from the mysterious woman. As he began to stumble towards the exit a familiar voice rang out behind him, "Yes Merlin, head to my chambers, they're in a complete state at the moment and don't you dare blame me for the mess again; it's your job!"

The warlock raised a questioning eyebrow as his friend hastily strode up to his retreating back, grabbing his arm and seemingly leading him out of the room on his approach, _keep walking now, and skip __the confusion, I just saved your head; leaving the room without dismissal to follow a woman whose angered the King is practically signing a death penalty!_

_Hmm… yeah…_ Merlin half-listened to Arthur's words, he didn't have time for this talk, he needed to gain answers, how was he in danger? What was going to happen to him? His mind started re-playing the entire conversation, attempting to make sense of the unexpected visit and warnings; _you must act quickly…_

He felt Arthur's grip suddenly tense just as they turned out of the court room doors, _ah, I forgot you were there_; Merlin mentally winced as his friend's emotions rocketed in reaction to the event he was now witnessing.

_You're in danger? _The prince's voice almost screeched,_ who was that woman Merlin? What does she mean? What's happening to you!_ Arthur swung the boy around to face him, his loud thoughts deafening his friend's tired mind and his gaze hardening, _and what did she mean by magical loss?_

As Arthur hissed this question he subconsciously moved his hand to grip Merlin's other arm which was loosely strapped up in its poorly designed sling; the moment his limb tightened on the warlock's arm, the boy let out a verbal cry of pain.

"Ahhh! Don't!" Merlin snapped pushing himself away from his friend and cradling his arm to his chest. Arthur flinched from the warlock as if burned; staring at the pained boy in shock. After a few seconds a realisation flashed over his face and his brow deepened in disappointment and anger; quickly he stepped forward and gently took Merlin's injured arm, unravelling the tattered blue cloth despite his friend's weak protests.

Arthur froze at the feel of a sticky liquid clinging to the palm of his hand when he removed the cloth, _Merlin… what…_ the prince's stomach lurched at the sheer amount of fresh blood that was spread over his friends arm, and was still dripping from the cut of the previous night. The sight of the impossible seemingly new yet old wound visually answered his question; snapping his determined eyes back onto Merlin who was slumped against the wall, his tone emerged with the force of his title behind it, leaving no room for disobedience, _we're seeing Gaius… now! _

Please review, thank you :) x


	12. Maps

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer:** Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline belongs to me

Exams are currently getting in the way of writing - apprantely they're quite important - but this fic will keep going!

Thankyou so much for the people that have reviewed and the people who have favourited or put it on story alert, and to those people who aren't logged in so I can't reply to, a very special thank you - it all means so much to me xx

I hope you enjoy it x

Maps

The piercing echo of an experimental potion, rhythmically falling into an empty brewing cauldron from where it hung, sliced through the ears of the room's silent inhabitants.

The three men were spread among the tense atmosphere; Arthur was perched on the edge of the work bench anxiously twitching his leg, Merlin lay on the physicians worn bed staring blankly at the musty ceiling and the physician himself stood in the far corner of the room, his usually hunched over back stiffly held up as his mind attempted to comprehend the information that had just been relayed.

The prince's eyes yet again flicked to the unresponsive form of his friend and he had to physically bite his tongue to prevent ordering Gaius to stop contemplating and respond.

Arthur understood that the man required a moment to analyse the current predicament and that he had every right to have a period of extended time due to the revealing of secrecy he had been a victim to, _but for goodness sake his ward is sprouting blood like a broken water pump!_

A calm breeze shuffled over Arthur's mind causing him to wince in guilt, he shouldn't be straining his friend; the damaged warlock didn't need a tide of high pressured emotions adding to his condition. He tried to draw his gaze with an apologetic wave but Merlin's eye-line remained fixed upwards; from the over-exaggerated chest movements and fogged blanket in his head, Arthur could sense that his friend was using his remaining strength to ignore the pain in his arm as well as stay conscious.

The prince was urging to go and comfort the boy but since Gaius' death glare when finding the two were conducting a silent conversation in front of him, Arthur was too scared of the potential consequences to move from his assigned seat.

"This is my fault for waiting for admittance rather than simply demanding an answer." Gaius' gruff voice tiredly announced, breaking through the prince's inner panic. Arthur's attention snapped back to the physician who had resumed his hunched posture, symbolising the heavy weight that had fallen on his shoulders.

"You mean you knew!" Arthur cried, an accusing tone slipping into the exclamation. He didn't miss Gaius flinch in response.

"Yes, I had an idea," The man signed as he lowered himself onto a wooden stool, running a hand over his strained face; the guilt-ridden tone and deepened wrinkles seemed to double the poor man's age, highlighting the distress he was under-going. "Though I didn't think it to be this serious," his voice lowered to a mummer as if trying to console his own being, "I just presumed Merlin had taken a minor risk with the spell he cast to heal you and decided not to tell me. I was gradually becoming more frustrated; I would have questioned the matter in a few days…"

Gaius raised his head at the interruption of a wheezy gasp; a shadow of a smile lighting on the injured members face, showing it was an attempt towards a laugh, "So that explains your new found door slamming habits."

The physician quickly angled a path through the array of potions and books and gently settled on the edge of his occupied bed; placing a hand on his wards own he softly replied, "Sorry about that my boy, it seems my annoyance has a way of relaying itself to door usage."

Merlin let out an airy chuckle but it sharply cut off as another hit of dizziness invaded; he widened his eyes and tried to regain focus on the now double-layered ceiling but little change occurred.

Another palm landed on his arm and a worried voice entered his head, _Merlin? Merlin, stay focused… come on, don't you turn princess on us now and faint… you'll never hear the end of it._

The warlock noted the attempted light-heartening action though he couldn't call on any energy to reply; even Arthur's voice sounded more distant than usual, everything felt… wrong.

Arthur's breathing hitched when a lack of inclination came from Merlin. He wasn't even sure if his thoughts were being received; a condensed mist was over-taking his friends mind and slowly dragging him further from consciousness.

A sickening realisation suddenly struck the frightened man, causing him to snatch his hand from the boy's arm as bile rose in his throat, _is that what death looks like?_

"He's slipping," Arthur croaked. He shakily turned his head to look into the face of his last resort and Gaius saw the blinding terror in the prince's eyes; they were both holding the same wish. Merlin couldn't die.

Pushing off the bed, Gaius moved around the room at a speed he'd retired at the end of his youth. Snatching a variety of maps he swept a table clear, littering the floor with wooden bowls and rumpled parchment and dropped them on top. Then switching to the bookshelf, a collection of useless and valuable books alike were flung throughout the surroundings until his hand clasped a tattered ripped notebook which had been left and pushed to the forgotten alcoves of the shelf decades ago.

"Unfortunately I haven't encountered any magic like this before and with Merlin unable to tell me what spell he cast, I can't give any first-hand help; this strangers words are the only lead we have." The physician muttered, forcing down the sense of guilt of not having proper answers available, the timing of finding a gap in his knowledge was exceedingly frustrating.

"I've never come across the Caves of Animas which means with no clearer placement there are no map reference points to focus on," Gaius spoke with the pace he was flicking page after page, his determined eyes cutting the paper with rapid precision, "But that term, Nexa. I believe I've heard it before and if I'm right…"

His hand slammed down on the open book, releasing showers of dust into the air and his triumphant gaze switched back to the confused prince, "Nexa, meaning entwined… we've got a starting point."

Despite the physicians confidence burst, this new information had no epiphany effect on Arthur, "How does understanding a foreign term help us find these caves?" He asked, and with a quick glance at Merlin he moved to lean on the table which was now strewn with a few dozen maps of the entire entourage of surrounding Kingdoms.

Slapping the prince's hand off the corner of Caerleon Gaius proceeded to inspect the area with his enlarged eye due to the appearance of an over-sized magnifying glass; without halting his activity he replied, "That black book is a collection of my notes from my many encounters with the druids, more so from before your birth,"

Arthur leant over and grabbed the binding of battered parchment Gaius had indicated and skimmed through it to indeed find an array of words he'd never seen before, "I believed Nexa to be a druid term but needed to confirm the fact," Gaius continued, "And now that it's found that I was correct it considerably narrows down the regions in which these caves could be placed. Druids may be forced travellers but they always situate to the same settlements."

Crouching so that his head was at a distance that allowed his hair to stroke one of the maps, Arthur could just make out the small inscribing's that Gaius was studying. The maps were tattooed with hundreds of barely visible name places, from the title of a Kingdom down to a broken cottage on the edge of a border. The prince raised a questioning eyebrow, "Are maps normally labelled with this much detail?"

Gaius hissed a frustrated sigh and flung the map he had been examining into the far wall, collapsing another stack of scrolls across the infested floor as they became involved in the line of fire. Grabbing another map and repeating the searching process he tensely snapped, "Normal maps don't, my maps do."

Arthur bit back a sharp retort at the man's tone; they were both under the same levels of distress and he couldn't expect Gaius to retain his cool demeanour. Glancing to where Merlin laid the prince tried to stir his friend again by sending some reactive emotions to him, but the boy didn't even blink; his hollow eyes simply stayed frozen. He looked so similar to a corpse that Arthur had to turn his back and instead concentrate on the warlocks presence; the only factor that comforted him to remember that Merlin was still alive.

"Well what we planning to do when we find the caves?" The prince stiffly asked as he went to help look for the mysterious destination, although instead growling and storming to slouch against the wall on realising that he couldn't read the labels without a magnifying glass.

Gaius, who was now on his fourth map, shrugged his shoulders, sighing, "Travel to them and find this Keepay as instructed."

Arthur let out a harsh laugh, the high-strung situation leading his emotions, "Oh good idea, let's just follow the strangers advice and go to an unheard of place in a location we can't even find," he growled, his voice growing louder as he became more agitated, "Then we won't worry about the fact one of the travellers is lying half dead in the corner! Maybe I'll just drag him along behind me! It's not like he'd notice anyway! So what does it matter!"

Gaius' shaking form snapped up and with a flash of gold a hard-backed book smashed into the wall a few inches from Arthur's face, "What choice do we have!" He roared.

Both men stood with locked eyes in pools of rage, their breaths falling out in heavy pants; the elder hunched over in a withdrawn fire of emotions and the younger firmly straightened with his frights weaving off him for all to see.

A low whimper sounded from the far corner and the two pairs of eyes drew to the source before returning to each other, a sense of understanding passed between them and with an apologetic cough of "Sorry," the uncontrolled moment was forgotten.

"So will the caves definitely be marked on one of these maps?" Arthur asked, returning to once more cast an eye over the fine artworks.

Gaius gave a slight nod from his returned scanning, "Most likely," he muttered before glancing up to the prince and raising a trademark eyebrow, "Meaning you need to go and request Uther's permission for a hunting trip."

A similar yet not as exaggerated reflection of the physician's expression lit Arthur's face, "You expect my father to allow me a relaxation trip despite his current hatred for both Merlin and I?"

Ignoring the prince's disbelieving tone Gaius continued his demand, "Your father doesn't hate you, simply… disagrees with your current views," A breathy laugh sounded from the blonde boy at the diluted description, "But either way, you can't simply disappear into the night. Uther would become incredibly dramatic and start killing citizens claiming that they'd all kidnapped you or other actions to that effect."

Arthur hid his face in his hands letting out an exasperated groan, Gaius was obviously correct in his predictions, but that didn't make the prospect of talking to his father any easier. Sliding two of his fingers apart, he cracked open an eye to see Gaius' firm gaze staring at him, "Ugh, fine!" The prince exclaimed, flinging his arms into the air before moodily striding to the door and forcing it open, "But just remember that this is all pointless if he kills me!"

Slamming the door behind him, the boy missed the physicians rolling eyes and despite the circumstances, amused smirk.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later the same door got re-slammed with even stronger rage in the opposite direction as the red-faced prince stormed back into the room.<p>

Gaius, who was perched next to his ward again, stopped filling a leather bag with a range of food and flasks to watch the fuming man with a blaze in his eyes and whitened knuckles due to his tightened fists forcefully land on the chair next to him.

"Well that was a waste of an argument! Luckily he didn't have his sword in reaching distance; otherwise I would have been its guaranteed recipient!" He huffed, throwing his hands about to emphasise his words, "I'll probably not have a voice in the morning due to the volume the conversation held!"

But the ranting prince was too caught up in his emotions to realise that Gaius was no longer listening and was instead continuing to pack a travelling sized bag. "He started by laughing at my request! That itself automatically proved he wasn't going to allow the trip! And then…"

The prince's hysteria was halted as a now full leather bag was dropped onto his lap. Frowning in confusion he turned his head to follow where the giver of the item was walking to pick up an identical object and stuff it with more clear flasks containing different coloured liquids.

"Of course Uther was going to deny the trip; he currently hates you." The physician stated in an off-handed manner, taking little notice of Arthur's gaping mouth.

Arthur blinked as he tried to understand why then, he had just allowed himself to be shouted at for a time period that had been too long for anyone's liking, "But… you said…"

Flapping his hands to move the lost boy off his chair and taking his place to lean over the currently more stable form of Merlin and readjust the new bandage he had place over the open wound, he replied in a tone usually retained for conversations with children, "Well I was lying. I needed to locate the Caves of Animas and your mood swings were distracting."

The blunt explanation caused Arthur's mouth to snap shut and he frowned, glancing around the room in self-conscious surprise, _did Gaius just…_

A rough scroll of parchment was thrust into his hands, signalising the end of the topic, and Gaius led into a new conversation, "That's the map you'll need, the Caves of Animas weren't specifically labelled but the general area had the Animas title and it includes a cave range so it's the best shot."

Shaking off his dis-belief at Gaius' manipulation, Arthur quickly un-rolled the map to study it, shuffling his body to the side as Gaius passed by to go back to the work bench. _This seems to be a simple enough journey… and it can't be that far away_; he skimmed the paper for the reference to which Kingdom the map was presenting, _what…_

"This is on the border of Lorem!" He exclaimed, the map rustling under his increased grip.

Gaius gave a sigh for the will of patience and turned to fix the predictably angered prince with a scolding expression, "I am aware of that Arthur," the physician reprimanded, momentarily forgetting the status of to whom he spoke, "And as you're currently doing, I have considered the idea of this being one of Cirion's schemes. But the placement of the caves doesn't alter the fact that this is the only course of action available; it's a risk that must be taken."

Arthur looked to Merlin and let Gaius' orders seep into his resistance, the boy's presence was still ever fading and at this stage it was likely his friend wasn't aware of any of his surroundings, meaning that an arrow or sword to the heart would cause him no pain if a trap was where he leaded them; this thought gave the prince a form of mild twisted comfort.

"But will he survive the journey?" Arthur whispered, Gaius took this question as an acceptance to go to the Cave of Animas and he moved to the prince's side, holding out a small flask that was half empty.

"I've given him a spoon of honey to attempt to increase his energy levels so his body can continue functioning for longer, whenever you sense him drastically slipping place another helping on his tongue. It's hardly ideal but it will have to do." Leaning forward to indicate Merlin's wounded arm the physician continued with his analysing tone, "I've dressed the wound with powdered bark of hemlock to lower the flow of blood and also added some yarrow to try and keep it from infecting. It'd be easier to treat if this magic wasn't blocking the cut from healing but since there's no sign of it currently doing-so, it's doubtful that it will decide to at a later point."

Gaius slipped out of his medical façade with the last line, and he subtly tilted his face from the prince's view to hide the water in his eyes at the thought of the true extent of the unlikelihood that his adopted son would still be alive when he reached the caves.

Protected from the truth of his friend's grave state, Arthur didn't notice the man's distress, "So when shall we leave?"

Gaius patted the prince's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze in an effort to convince himself that this man would somehow bring him back his boy with air still in his lungs. Switching his gaze to the light of the sun that beat down on the court yard he spoke in a blank tone to hide the heart that was breaking, "I wish I could say now… but you wouldn't even reach the lower town at this time."

The broken man looked to his son in all but blood and sent out a silent prayer as he whispered, "You'll leave under nightfall."

* * *

><p>It was a clear night, the absence of clouds allowing the objects of the sky to illuminate the vast forest surrounding the castle and the gentle breeze carrying fragments of blossom, causing them to dance over the sleeping city; it was a beautiful sight.<p>

Cirion snatched a shad of blossom from the air and crushed it in his palm, his face scrunched in disgust. He despised everything to do with Camelot and despite his hatred for the Kingdom, what made it worse was the logical part of his mind reminding him that Uther's land was by far greater than his own, _and that boy doesn't deserve to inherit it._

The King would have preferred to not be torturing himself with the view of such a _perfect_ Kingdom but the south wing tower was offering rescue from forced laughs and polite agreements in the court room where Uther and his knights were supposedly attempting some sort of casual meeting.

Cirion had only attended a gathering of such ridiculous notions as he'd considered that the prince would be showing his much-loved presence but unfortunately, he did not.

The royal had been scouting out Arthur for the entirety of the day; since he'd now released the servant from his command the revengeful man had been prepared to move along with his next scheme of attack.

He was sure the son of Uther the Magic Hater would find his friends secret very interesting.

Though despite his efforts, Cirion had been unable to grab a moment with Arthur; he had managed to catch the prince's sleeve as he stormed out of the throne room after an apparent argument with his father, but the obnoxious boy had pushed him off and slid away in a childish tantrum.

_Aurea never acted with such rude manners,_ the thought emerged before he could block it; and a sad smile faltered on his lips as an image of brunette locks and brown eyes swum into his mind, those eyes that had been filled with so many tears…

He tried to forget the memories; they brought so many unwanted emotions and pain, feelings that he didn't want to deal with, _if only I'd…_

A rhythmic sound of hurried hooves cut through the King's thoughts and his head snapped up to catch the back of a horse carrying two people, disappearing into the forest; one of the riders had been hunched forward, obviously urging the animal to run with pace, where the other rider had been lying across the body, held in by his companions arms to prevent him from falling. Cirion cursed and slapped his gloved hand against the balcony stone, he could recognise that torment of blonde hair anywhere and it was no guess to who his fellow rider was.

With his mind focusing back to the situation which was less painful to handle, an animalistic growl rolled from the man's throat; if neither the prince nor his pup were present then how was he supposed to reveal his information and break them!

Clutching the edge of the tower, his eyes fixed on the tree-line where his plan had escaped the man's chest beat in heavy pants as the anger over took his body. His idea had been flawless! Now who else would care about a servant with magical qualities…

The realisation hit him like a ton of bricks and he flinched at his own stupidity; straightening up and smoothing down his hair that had flown wild in his fit of anger, the royal led himself back towards the side door, after all, it would be rude to leave his host without a fellow high-class member to speak to.

And he was sure Uther would be very interested in a certain topic he could bring to the conversation.

Please review, thank you :) x


	13. The Keepay

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer:** Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline belongs to me

I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while but I hope the hugely extended length of this chapter makes up for that :)

Thankyou so much for the people that have reviewed and the people who have favourited or put it on story alert, and to those people who aren't logged in so I can't reply to, a very special thank you - it all means so much to me xx

I hope you enjoy it x

The Keepay

The light crackling of a fire echoed through the silence of the forest, the flickering colours casting long shadows behind all surrounding objects as the flames took their responsibility as the singular light source under the covered sky.

On one side of the fire lay a bundle of material; strands of raven hair peeking from beneath a cocoon of blankets layered with a thick cloak highlighting Camelot's colours. Although despite the flames and fabric, the bundle maintained a constant shiver, the vibrations shifting a collection of leaves and creating a monotonous rustle.

A few paces behind the sleeping boy, slightly apart from the circle of heated air, sat the statue of a prince.

Arthur's hollow gaze reflected the burning wood as he unseeingly stared into the depths of the fire, his hands clenched together in front of his shaking legs and his teeth gritted down as the hour of the day grew later.

His body was fiercely reacting to the low temperatures as only a thin tunic was present to protect him, since his other named unnecessary items were now among his servants blanket arrangement. But although physically his battle was with the bite of the night air; mentally a whole different battle was un-folding.

The prince had been travelling at full stretch for two days and nights, the only breaks being when Merlin's presence had almost disappeared and he'd had to force shots of honey down the boy's throat. Unfortunately, these needed stops had speedily increased over the past twelve hours and with it Arthur's despair.

They had finally reached Animas a few hours previously and the following hours had contained Arthur riding anxiously around the tremendous cave range in an attempt to locate any form of life. Although after pelting among the rocks and climbing up sharp ledges to check non-existent caves, no change in situation had occurred; though there was now a range of hacked tree trunks outlining the last sight to be explored.

So now Arthur sat with an absence of emotion, his anger, desperateness, panic and guilt all dwindled down with his loss of hope.

Merlin had little time left in the world, the honey trick having given no effect on the last try, leaving the prince to have to simply sit and feel as his friend slowly slipped from beyond his reach.

Arthur had still tried to help as much as possible although deep within he knew that none of his actions would achieve anything; but he could try and take comfort in the pretence_._Therefore the frozen man had given up most of his garments to trap heat around his shivering friend, along with sitting out of range from the heat of the fire, his helpless mind convincing him that this would leave more warmth for Merlin.

_It can't end like this_, he pleaded, looking to the half-conscious boy with a bare trickle of life emitting from within him, _I can't sit here as he leaves_, he felt the desire to go and take seat next to his friend's likely death bed but his body wouldn't bring him to do so through fear; _I can't feel him die._

Arthur felt his eye-lids fall shut as moisture started to emerge from the thoughts that were progressing within his mind, he squeezed them tighter together; placing his palms over the closed skin to try and stop the trickle of tears, _crying isn't going to help…_

Suddenly his ears pricked and in a flurry of movement the prince was on his feet, one hand grasping his sword and aiming it towards a section of bushes and the other quickly wiping the water from his cheeks, "Who…" His voice broke under the strain of the still strong emotions but with a quick cough he continued in a stronger tone, "Who's there?"

Silence answered his question and warily Arthur took light steps towards Merlin, neither his gaze nor sword faltering from where he had heard the crack of a twig mere moments ago.

"I am warning you stranger. Reveal yourself!" Arthur's angered voice echoed into the vast forest and he swept his eyes around the surrounding trees as his reflected voice disorientated his hearing. Bracing in a defensive stance above where his friend lay unaware of the on-goings, his frustration grew with the lack of response from the character he swore to be lingering among the darkness.

Moving his hand to reach for the sharpened dagger in his pocket he growled, "I give you this final warning!"

As his fingers tightened around the hilt of the silver his reply appeared, _you're warnings are unnecessary Arthur, I bring no harm._

The confession claimed the opposite effect of neutralising the prince due to the invasion of his mind and the dagger claimed a firmer place within his hand, "Sure mysterious voice in the dark forest, I'm really sensing the safety factors." He mocked, slowly swinging his sword around the cover of trees; annoyed that he was being mentally addressed meaning he had no target point.

_This is why I communicate in such a manner, even here you're combat skills are known_, the gentle voice spoke, a hint of amusement laced in the tone.

"Don't read my mind!" Arthur shouted with a crack in his voice, "You don't have the right!"

_Only Merlin has that…_he mentally cursed as the thought slipped out, he'd never achieved control over the retaining of the mind despite his friend's tutoring.

_And Emyrs is the reason that I have come_; Arthur spun around at another snap of a twig to witness the owner of his visitor.

"You," His eyes widened and his words came out as a sharp gasp; the person before him stood with the same dark green cloak, her brunette hair weaved over the material and her hazel eyes assessing him with calm focus; the sorceress from Camelot.

A storm of rage flooded through the prince and suddenly the sorceress was pinned against a tree, his blade skimming her bare throat, "Why did you send us here?" He growled, "There is nothing in these caves! I could have sought help for Merlin from hundreds of sorcerers in this time yet you've had me waste it on a fruitless journey!"

Arthur's red face was inches from the sorceresses own calm one and in his anger his sword gained added pressure; the metal was seconds from drawing blood when the two hazel eyes flashed and the prince crashed into the opposite trunk, his sword flung among the forest during his flight.

He quickly scrambled up, tensing his body expecting a fight to occur, yet on balance he found the sorceress in the same position with no sign of aggression or anger on her face or within her body language.

_I apologise Arthur, it is a natural reaction to protect myself when endangered_, she continued in her gentle tone. Moving with elegance to her step, she glided towards where Merlin lay but paused a few paces away and inclined her head to the still wary prince, _may I?_

Sensing that the sorceress was no immediate threat, despite the anger he still felt for the pointless trip, he gave a brief nod. The woman gave the prince a small smile then fell to the ground in one sweeping movement, the green fabric curving out around her.

Placing a tender hand on the warlock's cheek her eyes closed and her breath lowered, as she did so Arthur quietly made his way to the other side of his friend and knelt next to him, keeping a cautious gaze on the silent woman.

_He has little time left_, the voice made Arthur jump and he scowled at the sorceress who was now looking back at him.

"Well I knew that!" He snapped, "But knowing the fact doesn't help anything, just like your advice!"

She simply replied with a bow of the head and then proceeded to rise and glide over to where she had entered.

Arthur gaped in angered astonishment, _how dare she just leave! _

"Hey! How –" But his shout was cut off as the voice flew back, _follow me._

The prince felt his face flush even deeper at being ordered by a stranger, _she already misled me once!_

"You –"

_Trust me Arthur._

He grimly laughed at the statement, _why should I trust her!_

"Why –"

_To save your friend._

"Stop reading my thoughts before I say them!" He screamed in a similar tone to a child's tantrum, but the sorceress gave no response to his anger so he grumpily yet gently picked up his friend and stormily followed the woman.

"And its Prince Arthur to you," He muttered under his wounded ego.

_Not your kingdom Arthur_, she replied, an almost witty tone in the words.

They had been climbing around the base of the cave range for too long, twisting further among the rocks before appearing back at the edge of the forest seemingly travelled no useful distance. Arthur was near the verge of throttling his forced guide; Merlin's presence was now a mere trickle and the sorceress was taking him nowhere; plus he knew for a fact that he had scoured this area of the caves earlier with no result.

_It is not made to be found_, the increasingly annoying voice replied to his unasked statement, yet another factor that was building up the reasons to effectively kill the woman and end his misery.

A rugged stone formed an obstacle in the prince's path and he cursed as it tripped him, causing Merlin's dead-weight to slide from his arms, "Shoot!"

Suddenly an extra pair of hands appeared and Arthur found his friend firmly back in hold, the sorceress fixing him a stern look yet with the hint of a playful eye-brow tilt, _careful Arthur, dangerous objects the pebbles of Animas._

The prince pulled a mocking face as she turned back and continued to effortlessly climb over the rocks, _of course she'd be able to jump around with perfect balance, I don't see a dying friend in her arms!_

Arthur guessed that the sorceress was going to reply but the words he used probably warned her common sense as guilt, anger and sadness rushed through his body at his flippant thought. The emotions swarmed at full pace and his legs sagged under the turmoil, _he's dying… __he's dying and I'm making jokes and following some random woman who most likely has no clue where she's going. My friend__'__s going to die i__n the arms of a heartless idiot!_

He didn't realise his legs had completely given way and he was kneeling on the ground with his head bent over his dying friend until a gentle yet firm grip landed on his arm and pulled him back to his feet; a strong tug leading his grieving state forward, guiding him along the non-existent stone path.

_I am not permitted in such situations to divulge information before the invited party arrives_; the sorceress' voice had gained pace along with her steps. There was a pause of hesitance but on glancing back at the almost broken man her buried humanity managed to surface and she continued, _the Caves of Animas are where The Keepay lives, he can't leave the dwelling but from within he sees all, every matter involving the bridge to life and death he feels._

The woman's words enticed Arthur's sensibility and he trained into her sudden change of heart and fragment of explanation; _he saw the happening between you and your friend and sent me to lead you to the Caves to save the life of your Nexa._

Her voice softened and came as a bear whisper, her thought obviously meant to be personal rather than broadcast, _though in this case I feel that he also…_

The line sharply cut off as she realised her slip, throwing a worried glance at Arthur she proceeded to pull him up a small side cliff, ending her moment of insightfulness.

"He also what?" Arthur asked, placing Merlin on the top of the rocks and quickly dragging himself up using the sorceress' surprisingly strong grip. Once he was on the ground she kept walking, ignoring his question.

Muttering a few unpleasant words at the woman's retreating back he carefully re-instated his friend in his hands before rushing after her, "What were you saying?" Arthur prodded, raising his voice as she disappeared around a bolder, "My friend's life is apparently in the hands of this man and you're giving me ideas that he has mysterious motives!"

Following her path around the stone his anger increased at her silence, "How do you know I can… trust him?" He ended with a whisper, as on rounding the corner the prince found himself standing at the edge of the largest druid camp he had ever come across.

Arthur felt that he had just stepped from a jagged stretched horizon of dull grey rocks back into the forest, though a much more charming and exquisite version. The area was grounded with rich green grass, flowers of varying colours habiting the floor and winding up the cave walls in such tightly weaved patterns that the cave itself was hardly noticeable.

Traditional druid tents were scattered around, men and women sitting and talking, washing clothes, cooking food, cutting wood; children ran around bare-footed, laughing and playing in joyful peace. The sense of connection and bliss already broke it from images his father would describe to him as a boy and seeing the emotions around him at that moment; Arthur knew that the druid camp was far better than Camelot in every way.

_Eyes off Arthur, you already have a Kingdom_, the sorceress jibed, a trait she was seemingly going to continue and Arthur jumped to find her by his side once more.

"See, that's the other good aspect of_ verbal_ conversation, it causes fewer heart attacks." He complained, but she just smirked and ignored him once again, wandering off into the camp and leaving Arthur to trail after her retreating figure.

Walking among the camp, the fact of it being a druid camp became immediately obvious. Multiple shirts were dunking themselves in buckets of soapy water as a circle of women sat around and enjoyed each-others company, a young man was making shapes from a fire's smoke to the delight of a pretty girl and two little boys were running in and out of the tents dodging the flowers that were attempting to wrap around their ankles; an old man seemingly asleep with a light smirk on his features and some subtle hand movements sitting not far from the action.

_This is how magic should be used, the beauty that my father will never let himself see_, Arthur thought, chuckling as one of the little boys fractionally missed running into his legs; looking down at the passing boy his gaze fell back onto Merlin. His smile faded and his eyes dulled at his sickly friend, _Merlin should be seeing this, not me._

_Hopefully he will,_ the sorceress gently added. Arthur looked up to see her drawing back a curtain of deep lilac pansies from a gap in the cave wall, he sent her a confused expression asking, "Is this where…"

The sorceress cut his question with a small nod, flicking her eyes as an indication for him to enter into the cave within the cave. "Right," He sighed, following her silent command and passing under the layers of flowers; he felt the curtain brushing down his back and he quickly turned, reaching out a hand to catch the closing pansies, "Aren't you coming?"

_I may not enter the Cave of Animas, it is not my dwelling_, her voice had reverted back to its mysterious tone.

Arthur cocked his head at her reply, "I thought all of these caves where the Caves of Animas; hence the plural."

_No, where you stand alone is the true Cave of Animas_; a wondering flicker appeared in her eyes and she tilted her head adding, _truthfully I'm not sure why we talk of the Cave in plural forms, maybe we just enjoy confusing princes._

Arthur gave a light chuckle, enjoying her less formal attitude, "I'll keep that in mind," He went to let go of the flowers but he suddenly realised, despite all her help he didn't know the sorceress' name.

_Floress_, the voice replied, a touch of joy in it for the desire of personal knowledge, _my names Floress._

Arthur glanced back and smiled, "Then thank you Floress," He said, his smile sliding to a smirk as he dropped the curtain adding, "And I told you to stay out of my head."

Walking through the dark cave corridor Floress' voice glided into his head one more time, _don't worry, there's not much in there anyway._

* * *

><p>The dark, dingy stone corridor was surprisingly long; Arthur had been tripped up by many loose rocks on route and was having to guide himself along by jutting his elbow out at an awkward angle so that it could run against the textured wall.<p>

_How big can this cave be?_ He thought, his eyes flittering around the eerie darkness and his mouth drying up at the increasing sense of emptiness; now that Floress had left him, there was nothing to distract his mind from the feeling of Merlin's life flickering on its last lengths. His friend was stable; his presence having been at the same level since they'd entered the druid camp but that level was drastically too low for Arthur's liking, _and if this stupid corridor doesn't end soon this Keepay characters going to feel the consequences!_

As if responding to his internal threat, a shaft of light appeared in the distance, illuminating the prince's tired, sweating, mud covered face. The rays punched his gut into action and his pace quicken, the white light getting larger and larger as he got nearer and nearer; _finally!_

In seconds he had reached the source but on hitting it the corridor burst into a cavern of light; Arthur struggled forward, spinning his head attempting to see what was happening but the light was piercing his eyes, all he could see was white, the sharp colour pounding on his head, ringing in his ears. Confusion, fear, pain; he spun around like a wild animal trapped and he heard his own voice screaming, "Help! Someone please! Help me!"

Suddenly the light snapped off; Arthur stumbled forward, catching himself before Merlin fell from his arms. Blinking with wide spanned blotches of dark patches covering his sight, the scenery blurred together as his pupils tried to adjust to the quick change of light intensity. The pain in his head increased as his eyes faltered in their confusion, he groaned in pain and stepped backwards until he felt the cold stone on his back, letting the hard material support him.

He felt his breath break from him in panicked spouts, the air tickling his chest as his head drooped in on his body. His gaze stayed fixed on Merlin's oblivious form as the dark patches began to fade from his sight, though as his gaze came further into focus he noticed that Merlin was shaking.

_What's wrong with him!_ Arthur felt his panic increasing again but with some extra concentration he realised that it wasn't his friend who was shaking, but his own hands.

Slowly leaning over, he carefully placed Merlin on the floor at his feet, not currently trusting his body to be holding his form. Running his shaking hands through his hair he stood back up, turning to face the wall and resting his head against it, his hands either side; gripping onto the feel of a solid object to convince his mind that there was no danger, _this situation has been grating on me harder than I thought, I'm turning into a frightened wreck!_

After a couple of minutes Arthur's breathing had returned to normal and his body had regained control. Pushing himself off the wall he took a step back but left one hand on the stone, rubbing his palm over the jutted texture with mild curiosity,_ it's strangely damp for a surface that's the entrance to a dry corridor…_

Suddenly his eyes widened and his breath hitched as his mind kicked into its logic, _this was an entrance! This is where I was standing and there was definitely not a wall there!_

Arthur snapped around, hoping he was miscalculated and the entrance was standing behind him but on turning, if possible, his eyes grew even larger.

The new surroundings were like nothing he had seen before.

The circular cave had walls of deep blue waterfalls, the source of the liquid seemingly non-existent; the shimmering wet waves simply appearing from the air just below the cave ceiling. The pronounced blue water then smoothly glided into the floor, no splashing of liquid hitting the ground just a sleek disappearance.

In the middle of the cave sat a rounded stepping stone; it was surrounded by fingers of water which twisted around smaller stepping stones that created different directions of access to the central raised stone. This maze of streams was locked into one circular area by a smooth curved pathway that ran around the cave between the impossible walls of water and the stepping stone rock pool.

Although his logic couldn't grasp the impossible cave he had somehow become trapped within, a smile still graced his lips along with a whisper, "It's beautiful."

"I've seen better," A voice replied from behind the prince.

An audible gasp left Arthur's mouth and he swung around to witness standing before him, the friend who had been dying in his arms for a number of days, the boy that he'd lost all hope in even if he hadn't been able to admit it to himself, the warlock who'd had the magic drained from his body; Merlin.

A cracked cry and Merlin found himself trapped in a bear hug, Arthur's head in his shoulder letting out a sound somewhere between a laugh and sob. "Good to see you too I guess," The warlock awkwardly said, not feeling all together comfortable with a crying prince, _normally I'm the one with the tears, I prefer it that way, this is weird._

He slowly patted Arthur on the back hoping it would have some comforting effect but when that achieved nothing, he attempted at speaking, "Look I'm fine," He started but dragged off, losing any train after that as he realised he had no clue of what he was supposed to be comforting Arthur about, "But if you're seeking reassurance would you mind first telling me why we're in a mystic cave rather than Gaius' room, why I feel like I've under-gone an intense training session and how you've suddenly found the hugger within?"

Merlin felt a light chuckle on his shoulder and then found himself released from the firm grip, Arthur quickly swiping the moisture off his cheeks while doing his deep cough technique which he used whenever he felt his manliness had wavered, "Yeah, sorry, it's just…" He tried to aim for the light-hearted angle but after the emotional turmoil he'd been going through the past days, couldn't find it within himself.

"You were dying Merlin," Arthur's tone was low and he grabbed Merlin's shoulders to alliterate how serious the situation had been, "Literally dying. Gaius and I found the map to the Caves of Animas then I brought you here but the whole journey I could feel you dying… I could feel the life leaving you."

Merlin froze at the pain in his friend's eyes, the previous days he hadn't realised how seriously ill he had been, he hadn't even known there had been previous days! Plus the thought of actually sensing the essence of a human disconnecting from their body, _I can't even comprehend how sickening that must be. _

"Arthur… I…" Merlin struggled to find the right words to say for any comfort, "I… think this is a very disappointing climax to such a dramatic journey."

The prince blinked at his friend's sudden tangent of topic, normally this genre of conversation would be a gold-mine for one of Merlin's personal speeches and heart to heart moments, "You've just returned from the brink of death and you're complaining that it wasn't dramatic enough?"

Merlin gestured his hands in a vague shape, "I was expecting just a bit more flare."

"Well I was almost blinded on the way in! Does that satisfy you?"

"You can be potentially blinded every day; there's no adventure in that."

"Are you sure your head screwed back on correctly when you jumped back to life?"

"I'm not sure, everything feels a bit floaty."

"You realise 'floaty' isn't a word."

"It's not? Well it should be; can I make it a word?"

"What? No you… Merlin what's wrong?"

The warlock suddenly snapped forward, standing inches from Arthur's bewildered face, one hand placed on the his arm and his wild eyes staring into the prince's own slightly fearful ones. Leaning forward Merlin whispered in an eerie hissing tone, "Have you noticed the space in your mind?"

Letting out a child-like giggle the boy spun around and wandered over to the waterfall wall; tilting his head and observing it as if it were a fascinating piece of historical architect.

Arthur stared at the friend he couldn't recognise, though despite his frightening attitude the prince realised what the boy was talking about, _I_ _can't feel Merlin._

It had all gone. The lingering presence, sense of emotions, the voice inside his head; it had somehow disappeared, _but if it's all been sorted, then why is Merlin so… not Merlin?_

Arthur nervously ran a hand through his hair and tried to draw his friend's attention away from the waterfall, "Hey, Merlin…"

But his sentence was cut off as he found the warlock suddenly at his side, a comforting hand on his shoulder and the common look of concern in his eyes, "Arthur, I'm sorry for everything you've been going through these past days, I can't imagine how hard they must have been," Giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze he flashed him a sincere smile of gratitude, "Thank you for not giving up on me."

Arthur's mouth gaped open in further confusion, his reply slow and extremely confused, "Um… yeah… no problem… look – "

But it seemed Arthur was being given no time to contemplate any of Merlin's words as the boy quickly dropped to the ground and lay himself face-down on the stone floor, "Caves are always cold, maybe I should live in a cave, being hot is never fun – too much heat," Arthur could just make out his friends smothered rambles from against the floor and quickly he could feel his confusion manifesting into panic.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" He asked in a gentle tone, trying to coax his friend's rational manner back again.

"Absorbing the coldness."

Arthur sighed with frustration, "No, I mean what are you doing as in why are you acting like this?"

Without moving his head from the ground Merlin raised his arm and pointed in the direction of the far back waterfall, "Ask him."

The prince's gaze followed to where his friend was indicating but he found himself simply watching water run from nowhere to nowhere, "Merlin there's nothing…"

But his denial fell short and he felt his eyes widen in shock as the waterfall before him slowly parted like two veils and from between emerged a person draped in long black garments, a dipped hood covering their face so only a dark shadow could be seen.

Arthur sensed his legs slowly moving him backwards as the new figure calmly moved forward, eventually leaving the prince standing above the still floor hugging Merlin in an automatic protective defence and the new member placed on the central stepping stone.

"It proves your strength to be able to sense my presence in such a fragile state," The male figure, Merlin's spoken assessment being confirmed with the low tone of voice, concluded.

Arthur heard his friend's mumbled reply consisting of the word 'fishing' but he kept silent; the prince didn't react happily to purposely hooded strangers and with the panic for his friend's sanity added to the meeting, his self-control wasn't boding well.

"Who are you?" He asked in a menacing tone through gritted teeth.

But the man continued as if Arthur didn't exist, let alone had asked a question, "Although your skills can already be witnessed through your ability to remain alive until reaching this destination."

"Who are you?" His voice melting into a low growl.

"Hopefully it is of more comfort to you now that your cut has stopped bleeding –"

"WHO ARE YOU!" Arthur demanded as his anger snapped. He stormed to the edge of the outer stream that separated the hooded man from where they resided, staring into the fabric that he assumed approximately lay at the level of the man's eyes.

Arthur felt the figure's gaze switch from Merlin to fall on himself, there was a moment of tense silence before he answered in the same peaceful tone, "I am The Keepay."

The prince blinked at the admittance but after the brief surprise the answer still failed to deter him from his angered path, "Oh of course, you're the being that's supposed to help save my friends life," the sarcasm in his words stifled the surroundings, "Well good work! He's alive! Living and breathing in all his floor fantasising, mumbling, insane glory!"

His sentence ended in a roar of rage; the strain of all the circumstances he had been watching his friend go through edging him nearer and nearer to the brink of his own sanity.

The Keepay gave no reaction to Arthur's accusing outburst and left another silent pause before speaking, "There is an explanation to your implied question Arthur."

The prince's face reddened and he cracked his knuckles as the Keepay relayed the obvious statement and then followed it with yet another silence, the man obviously a lover of the dramatics. Arthur released a warning growl and the figure continued, although doing so in a way that seemed it was because it was his choice, not Arthur's demand; _if he keeps up with this power play much longer I'll show him what a sword can add to a purposeful silence!_

"The Cave of Animas is a dwelling that holds the boundaries of life and death, when you cross its borders you are frozen in the conscious state that you entered," He calmly explained, gesturing to where Merlin now stood with his ear against the rush of the waterfall, muttering questions to himself, "Your friend arrived on the brink of life, a mere shadow of himself as his life force is currently ebbing into you; the cave allows him to live with his available resources which currently are only snatches of traits from different genres of his personality, which is why he is in a similar state to insanity; his mind does not have the full capacity of one emotion, thought or action so he keeps switching between them without warning."

Arthur gaped at the man as he tried to catch up with the new knowledge, shaking his head in confusion, currently forgetting his anger as the situation drew back to Merlin, he slowly asked, "So… he hasn't gone mad?"

The Keepay gave a small nod of apparent reassurance, "No he hasn't."

The prince looked over to his friend who had now moved to kneeling on the floor, drawing what seemed to be a map of Camelot with his fingers in the dirt, "Right… so then – "

"Wait!" Arthur shouted, interrupting his own sentence and snapping back to The Keepay with one arm outstretched as parts of the man's explanation began to re-play in his mind, "What do you mean his life force is currently ebbing into me?"

The Keepay stepped off the central steeping stone, seemingly ignoring Arthur's question and effortlessly followed the path of stones over the maze of trickling streams, starting to talk as he stepped onto the third stone, "I am a being caught between the boundaries of life and death, I cannot leave these caves through any means as only those with breath in them can enter or leave; which is an action I do not hold."

Arthur watched the man glide from stone to stone and he could feel a urge within him that wanted to force the figure to skip his narrative and just get to the part that involved Merlin; yet another part of him was curious about the place and situation he'd suddenly found himself in, and the still sympathetic section of his mind was asking,_ when was__ the last time this man had talked to someone?_

So the prince stood in silence as The Keepay continued speaking in his serene tone.

"It became apparent that being trapped within such boundaries had given me a sight over the matters of both; visions and voices swarmed through my head of people coming into existence, people living existence and all those who would have their moments wavering on the edge between the two.

It was leading me to my own madness; I was spending every minute witnessing people dying. It didn't matter that I was also seeing those being born because the levels of death were so much higher."

His tone was slipping into one that held emotion, the most likely first reminiscing of his hurt cutting down the mysterious, all-knowing, mystical figure.

"One moment in time, day or night I don't know as these labels have ceased to exist for my presence, but at one moment water began to fall from the air of the cave and more leaked up from the floor creating this mixture of waterfall and stream. I couldn't fathom how or why it was happening but it briefly broke me from my torment; I approached the falling water and reached out to touch it…"

As he re-told the memory he illustrated the picture, slowly reaching out to stroke the falling water. The second his hand made contact with the liquid Arthur let out a gasp and jumped back in fright; thousands of images showing people in all forms of life emerged from the water, their moving faces wobbling in the waves of the waterfall.

Arthur cautiously moved forward to take a closer look at the water; there was a man dragging a pile of logs, his back broken and red from where the ropes were cutting into his skin and he was crying out in pain. Another man in knight attire approached the injured man who had now fallen to the floor and reached down, one hand behind his back the other outstretched as if he was going to help him, but suddenly the hidden hand re-emerged at lightning speed and there was a flash of a sword before the man on the ground fell still and the image dropped from its section in the waterfall, disappearing into the floor with the rest of the water.

There was another image of a young woman lying alone on a pile of dirtied straw made to look like a bed, her face contorted in pain as she coughed, drops of blood spurting from her mouth.

Another where a small child sat on the ground playing with an old bucket, laughing as he placed it on his head; the image then zoomed out of the village into the surrounding forest where a collection of bandits on horses were galloping at full pace with weapons blaring in the direction of where the innocent care-free child was playing outside his home.

Arthur felt a tear run down his cheek as second after second more images froze with the death of someone before falling with the waterfall into the ground; he turned his horror ridden face to look to where The Keepay stood with his hood turned in the direction of the waterfall, clearly watching the many images himself.

"The visions and voices in my head suddenly flew to the water instead, for the first time since I'd appeared as this being I could hear my own thoughts, be aware of my own surroundings; I thought that the cave had bestowed a blessing upon me.

But then I watched the images. When they were in my head I couldn't make much sense of them, I knew there were people dying and living, I could hear and sense it yet I wasn't seeing it for all its detail.

On the waterfall it showed that the visions I was witnessing weren't just the precise moments of life and death, they were also the moments leading up to them. I could see the danger that was heading towards so many, the decision someone was making to lead to their death, even the images of a child being born fast forwarded to how they would eventually leave existence."

His voice was now hollow; he spoke as he ran his fingers through the water, disturbing the images of death and despair.

"I wanted to help. I alone had the sight and knowledge to save so many yet I was forced to remain in this cave, witnessing with no means to prevent.

But then the druids arrived; I knew they were coming as the image of them being chased up to the mountains was what I was watching. A part of me knew I was just attempting to convince myself that they were moving in this direction as I didn't have any awareness of where this cave I'm trapped in actually resided but I had a hope; a sense in me claimed that the mountains I could see them running to were the mountains I was placed within.

The image showed them trapped in a dead-end, men, women and children all frightened and weary; I could see how the knights pursing them would come around the corner, how the druids would attempt to fight with their magic but would cause little damage due to their weak and injured states and how eventually, they would all lay with blood seeping through their clothes."

Arthur found himself sitting on the floor in shocked silence, even Merlin seemed to be in the sympathetic section of his mind as he stood next to the prince' s shoulder, his ramblings momentarily on hold.

"It tore my heart more than the other images due to my belief that the dead-end they lingered in was this cave wall. I smashed into the wall behind the water-fall, again and again I tore at it unsure what I was trying to achieve but needing to do something; then suddenly the wall parted and I was staring into the faces of a group of surprised druids; my feelings had been correct.

I ushered them inside and the cave wall closed behind them; I have no idea how this occurred but this cave never fails to surprise me. This is how they came to make their camp in the connecting cave; it was a safe haven for them to live, this cave hasn't allowed them to re-enter this section since that day, they can only reach the edge of the caves white light.

This event, preventing the druid's deaths it showed me that it was possible to alter the images that I witnessed every second, I couldn't act upon my visions but the druids could.

They were so grateful for the help I had given them that they had no complaint to me informing them of happening events by calling through the white light and requesting them to travel to warn the endangered people or provide help to those in need."

The Keepay turned away from the waterfall to face Arthur while keeping one hand lingering in the water, his voice grasping back to its calm level as he came out of his memories.

"That is why you were sent for; the help you require cannot be given through the druids."

Arthur was frozen by the story that had been revealed, he had felt a deep pain at seeing the images in the waterfall for this short time and to imagine having them be the only source in your existence was incomprehensible. Trying to wrap his head around the hooded man before him he didn't even notice that Merlin had left his side and was conducting a fist fight with an invisible enemy; there were no words he could think of to address the story he'd been told so instead his mind grasped to a mere few of the spoken words.

"That we require?" Arthur pushed himself off the ground, stepping forward to the edge of a stream and looking at The Keepay with confusion, "But you've already sorted our problem… we're no longer connected – if we're not connected how can there be a problem?"

The man's hood draped to the left showing that he was tilting his head; in sympathy or disbelief Arthur couldn't tell.

"You asked me what I meant by the statement that Merlin's life force was ebbing into you," The Keepay answered with a slightly lower pace to ensure the prince understood what he was saying, "And it means what it implies; the foundation of your connection was to pass Merlin's energy into your body to bring you away from death and then sustain you. That is what the spell that your friend performed over you when you were dying did; that was its purpose."

Arthur's head was having trouble handling so much information in such a short space of time which had involved a surge of strong emotions. He turned to Merlin, the one he would usually rely on to explain the situation whenever it involved magic or spells; he dealt with the physical and Merlin dealt with the magical, that's how it worked.

Although currently Merlin was gazing at the ceiling informing it of all the different plants that could be used to cure someone with boils, so Arthur turned back to The Keepay, realising he was going to have to sort through this himself, _the one time I actually want him to take control of a situation…_

Taking a deep breath and swallowing down his pride, Arthur looked into The Keepay's hood and asked, "Would you mind explaining our connection from the beginning?"

The prince was certain the man was smirking under his hood, as if he knew how much Arthur hated admitting he didn't understand something. But if this was the case he didn't mention it and simply gestured Arthur to join him by the waterfall.

Arthur quickly jumped the stepping stones and made his way over to The Keepay's side, as soon as he arrived the man completed his request slowly but minus a condescending tone, "The spell that Merlin improvised over you when you were dying formed your connection."

Bending down he reached his hand into the water at the place where the waterfall disappeared into the ground and slid up an image, bringing it up to their eye level. Arthur leant forward and his eyes widened at seeing himself lying on the jousting turf, blood pooling around his body and a distraught Merlin kneeling in tears next to him. The prince looked to The Keepay, his throat closed with distress at witnessing the memory he was a part of but did not witness; the hooded figure gazed at the image and continued.

"His later reaction shows that he wasn't aware of the spell he was doing but the image explained to me how the connection that allowed you to share thoughts, feelings and presence was the side effect of Merlin draining his life force into you to bring you back and then sustain you."

Wiping his hand over the image it changed to a flash of different moments of Arthur and Merlin, but now the prince could see a faint golden glow surrounding his friend that was leading off through a strand into his own body. The images flicked through the days in time order and as each picture flew through Arthur could see the golden glow around Merlin getting fainter and fainter.

The prince felt the blood drain from his face as the realisation that his friend was dying because of him came to light and his voiced thought came out as a scratched whisper, "Merlin was dying because he was giving his life to keep me alive?"

The Keepay turned to the horrified prince and actually placed a hand of comfort on his shoulder, his tone losing its detached state and replying gently, "Merlin's _still_ dying because he's giving his life to keep you alive."

Arthur's head snapped around and he stumbled away from The Keepay with a tortured expression, his eyes begging the man to take back his words, "No – he… no he's fine – he may be having that emotion and thought problem thing you said but he's alive! He's standing right there – he's alive now!"

The prince's words fell out in a panicked hurry as he ran over to his friend who was stood staring at the floor, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him slightly forward in an action to present him as evidence that he was alive.

The Keepay cautiously followed Arthur's path, continuing to address him in a soothing manner due to the wild panic shining in his eyes, "I informed you that the cave retains people in the state that they entered; it doesn't heal them, just sustains them. Merlin may be breathing, walking, thinking but he is still dying, and when he leaves this cave he will be gone."

Merlin had moved away, finding another section of the cave that drew his interest, leaving Arthur crouching on the floor where his legs had given up on him, his hands squeezing over his ears as he tried to block out The Keepay's words and the flood of guilt that was brought by them.

The Keepay stepped towards Arthur and crouched down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to ignore his gasping mutters of self-blame; speaking softly but firmly the man added, "That is he will die, unless you choose to save him."

Arthur jumped up at this sentence, his body shaking under the stress of the ever-contradicting news, "Of course I'll choose to save him! That's not even a decision! What do I have to do? What do I do!" He was shouting now, his hands flailing in front of him as he emphasised his words.

The Keepay rose with less speed, gently catching the prince's arms as they flew about and holding them still, getting Arthur to turn his gaze directly to his hood and concentrate on his answer.

"First I need you to listen."

The hooded man waited a few seconds for Arthur to lower his breathing and change to a state where he'd be able to understand words being thrown at him. The only noise was the rushing of the waterfall, which was broken by Merlin announcing, "I'm listening!" before he turned back to a rock that he had christened Gaius and continued asking it to teach him a new spell.

Arthur's mouth twitched with a half-smile at his friend, _it may be terrifying but he still __manages to make__ it funny._ With this thought he flicked back to The Keepay and gave a slow nod, asking with a deep breath, "Explain what I need to do."

If he could see the man's face the prince guessed he'd be seeing a grateful smile; taking a step away from Arthur The Keepay reverted back into his neutral tone and flung into another in-depth explanation,

"As I informed you, I am a being between the boundaries of life and death, forever stuck in both worlds. When the vision of your connection came to me I could sense that something was wrong, normally I can sense the clear distinction in my images of when someone is entering death or life; I will feel them pass either way.

But your connection, it made no sense to me; I could feel both of you flickering between the gate of life and death and your direction changing every second, though as time continued it became Merlin who was edging towards death the further you were drawing towards life.

I couldn't understand the reasoning, I assumed that Merlin's spell would have simply healed you and the situation would have been left. But then the cave gave me further knowledge; the day you were injured in the jousting tournament, you were supposed to die."

Arthur stared blankly at The Keepay, a corner of his mind finding it mildly amusing that he wasn't more upset about the information, _I guess I've been told so many shocking truths today my brain has become immune._

The man had paused for an expected outburst from the prince, following the pattern of them so far but when none appeared, he simply carried on.

"The image was set, the blood was drawn. People can only be saved if I use my visions to go and have a person warned before the entire incident has happened; if you had decided to not enter the tournament that day, then there would have been no problem with you continuing in life; but you didn't. You entered the contest and in doing so set the fate for your death. The spell that Merlin did proceeded to contrast with this event and the one rule for the boundaries; the balance of life must always be maintained!

Merlin's actions caused two people to remain where only one place was set; it is the reason why your body continues to drain the life force from him despite you no longer requiring it. Only one of you can live and your friends spell made the decision for it to be you who gets this gift; Merlin cannot be allowed to live if you are."

Arthur slowly drew his un-seeing gaze around the room, running a hand through his hair as he came to terms with what The Keepay was telling him, "So if I want Merlin to live, I have to die?"

The Keepay seemed to have an uncharacteristic moment of panic as he quickly moved to Arthur with his hands raised in a halting gesture, his voice becoming faster and more forceful, "No! No that's not what I mean – that's not the solution!"

Arthur was surprised by the amount of emotion the man showed to the thought of him killing himself and he faltered, confusedly replying, "Alright… then what is?"

The man's hand disappeared under his hood, obviously running a hand over his face in a form of anxiety; when he spoke his tone held a level of dire seriousness, "The images show me that Merlin did not complete the spell he performed and this is the reason the connection is draining him. In order to save both of you – the spell must be completed, the connection fulfilled and the balance of life retained."

The Keepay stepped inches from Arthur's face, the prince staring into the fabric as the man's voice lowered with intensity, "This would mean that you and Merlin would be fully bonded; in life and death. If one of you were to die so would the other, that way the balance would be kept as even though two would be allowed to live – the fact that you would leave at the same time would count you as one life. The solution is to complete the connection."

Arthur let the answer that he had travelled so far to find wash over him; being connected through thoughts and emotions was one matter but life and death; that was completely different. _B__ut if I __don__'__t do this and Merlin dies__, I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt and knowledge of being the reason behind his death; plus how would I survive without my closest friend to guide me?_

Then there was the idea where he just killed himself, he could simply release Merlin of the burden of keeping him alive, his actions had already earned him more time on the earth than he should have had; _but then he would never be able to return to Camelot, my father would blame him for my death if he returned alone. He would have to leave Gaius, his home, his friends and he'd just end up blaming himself for my death anyway._

It seemed that Arthur had come to his decision and clenching his body with finality he opened his mouth to give his answer.

Suddenly he found himself flung backwards onto the floor, his head snapping up he saw Merlin standing in his prior position, his hands balled into fists and his manner clearly currently focused on the reality in the room.

"No!" The warlock growled, his posture bending slightly in an aggressive stance as if prepared to fight for his order.

Arthur guessed from The Keepay's hardly noticeable curve of the back, moving his body subconsciously away from Merlin that he had a shocked expression plastering his face; obviously not expecting him to be contributing to the discussion. Slowly raising one hand in a surrender it seemed that he was about to reply but Merlin cut him off before he had even taken a breath.

"It's too dangerous! You should know the consequences – and I will not let it – "

His anger and fire suddenly switched off; his mind unable to maintain focus on the thought track for any longer and he swung around, jogging towards a stray rock which he proceeded to sit on and began to recite his morning chores.

Arthur's gaze followed his friend, then it rushed back to The Keepay and propelling himself off the ground he stormed over to where the man stood, his tone matching Merlin's during his moment of sanity as he did not respond well to having information kept from him, "What did Merlin mean by consequences!"

The Keepay's hood remained facing where Merlin sat as he murmured a response likely meant for an inner thought of his own, "It seems he knows more than he's letting on."

But Arthur was currently more focused on the word 'dangerous' than what Merlin did or didn't know and reaching forward, he grabbed the front of The Keepay's cloak and dragged him onto his toes and into his face, "Consequences. Explain. Now!"

Seeming frightened by the prince's physical aggression The Keepay gave his answer minus any pauses or mystical tones, "Completing the connection will mean the life force that belongs to Merlin that's residing inside you will snap out and returned to him straight away. Your own life force has been connected with Merlin's for so long that the two have mingled together meaning when your friend's leaves, it could rip apart sections of your life force; which would leave you in the state Merlin is currently in, but with no means to cure it."

Shoving the man away, he broke into frantically pacing back and forth, his hand rubbing viciously over his face as he tried to convince his mind to stick with its original answer despite the news that it could likely turned him into a hopeless lunatic. Snapping his fingers at the wary man he practically shouted, "But you said could! So I may not go mad! It could be fine!"

The Keepay answered cautiously, his tone unconvincingly agreeing with the unstable prince, "Yes… the connection could just break with no error…"

Arthur groaned as his logic picked up on The Keepay's blatant lie; growling in raw frustration he shovelled his hands through his hair, violently ruffling it as if the action would knock out the fear and doubt planted in his mind. With a sharp slap to his own cheek he followed the path of his hand around so he was facing the hooded man and blurted out before he could convince himself to change his mind, "Complete it!"

The Keepay had forgotten to retain his blank manner at the prince's frantic state and he stumbled on his words, his voice suddenly sounding much younger, "Yes… right – well, I need you and Merlin to place your hands in the stream and then, well – I don't know what happens then but the cave will sort it out."

Arthur had already gone and grabbed Merlin and was dragging him towards the stream despite the boy's protests that he was in the middle of a conversation with a goblin when he paused at The Keepay's words and looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean you don't know what happens? Aren't you going to be performing the spell?"

The question produced a silence and the man's hood dipped downwards, showing he was looking at the floor and his hands started jittering against the side of his body; Arthur would say that The Keepay actually seemed, nervous.

"I – I don't have magic," The reply came out as a wary mumble, the man making sure he wasn't looking anywhere near the prince's direction.

Arthur blanked in shock, it had been a general assumption since arriving that The Keepay had to be a magical being; how did his whole situation work if he wasn't?

"But… that makes no sense. How can you have all these visions and know all this stuff about our connection if you aren't magic?"

Arthur watched the man in apprehension, momentarily forgetting about the aim to complete the spell as he studied The Keepay become less and less mystical before his eyes; the man had turned his back to Arthur, shuffling his feet and fiddling with his fingers, his ever-increasing child-like voice replied quietly, "I've never had magic, the cave is the magical place – I just see the visions and sometimes the cave will give me more knowledge about the situation. It's the place sitting between life and death; it's no ordinary cave."

Tightening his grip on a struggling Merlin without glancing at him Arthur frowned as a strange awareness started to leak into his head as he listened to the man; ever-more confused he asked, "But aren't you a part of this cave – you're a being between life and death, that's why you see stuff."

Bringing his arms to wrap around his body, the figure answered with a slight hitch in his voice, "I wasn't always here… I used to be alive," His young voice sounded wistful as he remembered the past, "I had a life, it may have not been the best but it was something."

Turning to face Arthur his voice became eager, showing his desire to share this information with the prince and Arthur listened to the man with a thoughtful look on his face, trying to place the strange inkling that was picking at him as The Keepay talked.

"My mother had some magic," He admitted, "Nobody knew about it – just me. It wasn't much to talk about; she couldn't really do anything – a bit of flickering candle flame or a mild wind if her emotions were high – she only told me. She trusted me."

Arthur could hear the tears in his voice, "The day… the day I died, I found out that the second my life was about to leave me – my mother had cast a wish with all her heart that I could have another life – another chance. She didn't realise that her strong emotions would push her little magic to attempt to complete that wish – and as a result this happened. I got a new life – a life trapped between the moment I lived and the moment I died."

As the man's voice continued to flow through his ears Arthur felt his eyes widened and his mouth open as a realisation started to hit him.

"I knew what she did because the second I woke up in this cave – the first… the first vision that came to me was the image of my mother lying on her bed in the castle… deathly pale and crying – a picture – a picture of me placed next to her…"

The tears were now visible, the water splattering against the stone floor but Arthur couldn't focus on this, he could hardly feel his grip on Merlin as all he could think of was the light that had just flicked in his head and his voice released in a shocked gasp, "Aurea?"

The man flinched at the name, his body freezing in a tense form with no indication that he was planning on moving, but then, slowly his shaking hands reached for the edge of the hood. Gripping the material in his fingers he dragged it inch by inch off his head, the action slow but with grace. The moment the hood was down; the head raised and prince and prince's gazes locked.

Arthur's arms had fallen to his side, swinging lifelessly as his mind drove through an out-of-reality motion on seeing the boy he had grown up with, the boy he'd spent his childhood taking pleasure in out-doing, the boy who was the reason for his ever lingering guilt and Cirion's hatred for him. Fortunately, Merlin's mind seemed to grasp a sense of importance in the situation so he didn't run away when his friends grip slipped off his arms.

The silence suffocated the room; neither prince knowing how to address the sudden change in play. Aurea's eyes flicked from the floor to the blonde man, his confidence lost without the shield of his hood; Arthur remained staring, mouth open at the man he'd thought to be dead for many years, his head trying to catch that the young boy he'd once known was the mysterious Keepay he had been conversing with all this time.

Stepping forward, hands stretched in a helpless gesture, Arthur's rough voice weighed down by guilt croaked, "Aurea… I'm so sorry – "

The man ended his apology with a shake of his head, "You have no reason to have to use that word for me; none of what happened is your fault."

"But all those times I'd pick fights with you to prove I could win – making everything worse with Cirion…" He had carried the guilt for his actions towards the mistreated boy for too long to allow it to not be mention.

"My father's decisions were from his own mind and not influenced anymore by you," Aurea passed a hand over his pale face, the frightened personality of the boy he used to be reappearing as his past was pushed up from where he'd long hidden it, "You were a child, the boasting was how any young prince would act – you didn't know – you couldn't have – it didn't…"

His voice cracked as the memories he'd been repressing since his existence in the cave flashed through him; the pain, loneliness, suffering, "I just wasn't good enough," the broken whisper escaped through the fingers digging into his scalp as he tried to fight the old images. The visions he had now were nothing compared to re-living the life he had been part of during the days he had actually breathed.

Arthur felt as if he was witnessing an animal suffering a long and agonising death and he just wanted it to stop; he couldn't stand seeing the man his memories showed as a quiet, gentle boy cry in such raw pain, "That's not true – Cirion was just –"

But Arthur's weak attempt at comfort was drowned out by firm mutters of, "No, no, no…" Aurea vigorously rubbed his hair, his teeth drawing blood from his lip as he tried to keep control of the tears that if released would likely never stop at the thoughts of all the insults and pain his father had dragged him through since a toddler.

It was flooding him, he couldn't breathe and he couldn't deal with thinking of his former life at that moment so retreating to the method that had worked for him during his existence in the cave, he pulled his hood back over his face and turned his back to Arthur; hiding behind the façade of The Keepay to forget the damage that had left him alone without full life or death.

"You must complete the connection – place your and Merlin's hands in the stream," he spoke with the neutral tone that Arthur had been hearing when The Keepay was all the man was, but he could still hear the shaking in his voice despite his efforts to cut away from his identity as Prince Aurea.

"Aurea…" Arthur sighed, unable to feel comfortable allowing the man he'd seen as a friend to try and forget his pain rather than handle it.

But the former prince had ended the discussion and snapped at the sound of his old name, shouting with fury he repeated the words as an order, "Place your and Merlin's hands in the stream!"

Arthur jumped at the sudden rage and hurriedly pushed Merlin on his knees by the stream, grabbing his wrists and holding them under the water to stop him from withdrawing as he started to panic at the forced nature he didn't understand.

Looking up from where he was crouched, Arthur saw Aurea walking over the stepping stones towards the point of the waterfall that he had originally entered though; but his back was hunched over and his hands were still shaking.

Arthur shuffled his feet, fighting the urge to follow the man and do something to get rid of his obvious pain, "Please… just – you could come with us – Merlin could do something – you can't just stay here –" He was begging now, suddenly finding the person he had felt so much sympathy and guilt towards for so long and being cursed in a situation where he could do little to help him was tearing at his insides.

But Aurea didn't respond and as Arthur decided that the man running away from his inner torture needed more help than Merlin at that moment, he found that his hands were trapped in the stream.

The water started to rise, over-flowing the rocks edges and gliding out across the floor; the waterfall began to rush more viciously, the crashing noise echoing around the cave, the water flooding the ground and seeping onto Arthur and Merlin's legs, continuing to rise with strong waves as the waterfall burst open at the bottom, spraying the hissing liquid into the confined space.

Merlin was screaming out in terror, his mind not being able to focus on any one point to understand what was happening and he flailed with panic, trying to retract his hands from the flooded stream. Arthur could hear his friends pleading in his ears but he was frantically shaking his head, his eyes squinting to attempt to see through the waves and sprays of water and was shouting, "Aurea! Aurea come back! Where are you! Just let me help! Aurea!"

A burst of golden light choked Arthur's screams in his throat and his head snapped around to Merlin's intensified cry to see a huge golden strand stabbing through the boy's chest; illuminating him from the inside. The prince's hair was slicked to his face like a drowned rat but he still managed to see that the light was emerging from his own body and attacking Merlin.

The presence of the magic occurring hastened Arthur's urgency, "Aurea! Don't do this to yourself!" He cried out in pain mid-sentence as the light cut from his body with fury, but he continued shouting through his gritted teeth, "Your mother wanted a new life for you – this may not – be much – but use it!"

He screamed with pure pain as the golden light dragged from him with the feel of a flame lick, water pouring into his mouth as it opened causing him to splutter and cough; the water was punching at his chest now, the crash mingling with his torturous screams and Merlin's frightened cries.

As the pain increased he felt the energy leave him, his screams lessened as a cloud fogged over his mind but the fire in his chest still burned and with the little life he had left he kept whispering, "Use it – make it right… use it…"

Through the water a desperate grip suddenly clutched onto his shoulder and Arthur felt something quickly lean into him; the pain and crashing and screams still piercing his head but through his fogged mind as the darkness began to pull him down, a breath tickled his ear and he heard the few whispered words… then everything went black.

* * *

><p>A light tickling sensation on the nape of his neck was the first thing that struck Arthur as his mind slowly drew from the blanket of darkness, next the smell of leaves and grass breezed through his nose matched with the rustling of said leaves in the gentle wind and lastly the sight of the branches overhead in the dim evening sky appeared as his eyes flickered open; all igniting the joy that he was back in the forest!<p>

Rolling onto his stomach with a mild groan from the still dull throb in his chest he pushed himself off the ground; spreading his arms apart and curving his back he let out a more satisfactory groan as his bones clicked into place and he sighed in appreciation as he realised that despite just emerging from a flooded cave, he wasn't covered with one drop of liquid.

A grin suddenly broke onto Arthur's face at the fact that he was logically assessing his situation along with re-calling all the previous events, _my minds not broken! I can still think! I haven't been reduced to a crazy guy like…_ his eyes widened in horror at the last image he'd seen of his friend crying in terror, begging like a lost child; _Merlin!_

"Merlin!" Arthur spun around shouting, scanning for his friend. The boy snapped into his eye-line as he turned; he was standing and shuffling his feet across the length of the clearing they were in and watching the prince with a cautious eye. Arthur also fell silent when seeing the warlock standing before him seemingly fine for the first time in days and the whisper of the wind remained the only sound between the two as they carefully surveyed the other.

Merlin was the first to cut the tense atmosphere, "Is your head still as normal as it used to be?"

Arthur replied with a slow nod and with equal caution said, "You?"

The warlock matched the prince's slow nod and the silence fell back down, the friends simply watching each other with a wary eye.

The second speech was initiated by Arthur, "Can you do magic again?"

A rush of wind drew up from underneath his feet and he felt himself lift off the ground for a few seconds; his gaze remaining fixed so catching Merlin's accompanying nod.

The silence lingered as Arthur floated in the air but the thud of his feet hitting the floor broke the cautious atmosphere and both boys wary expressions slid into grins until seconds later they were both in hysterical laughter and in a hard back-patting hug.

_Do you always have to try and break my back whenever we hug? _Merlin's sarcastic drawl swam into the prince's head simply causing him to laugh louder and purposely hit his friends back with more force.

_An__d there's the official end of__ peace within my own mind,_ Arthur jibed in return, basking in the moment of the familiar friendship that had finally returned.

Merlin wiggled out of his friends grip while keeping one hand on his shoulder and rubbed his own back with a grimace on his face, _and__ there's the end of my ability to walk._

Arthur chuckled, being able to sense Merlin's amusement despite the show of annoyance on his exterior features, _I'd forgotten what a weakling you are, can't even handle a small pat on the back._

_A small pat!_ Merlin's mental voice exclaimed, _it felt like you were carrying out jousting training on my spine!_

The prince smiled at his friends humorous complaints but the fake flash of pain on his face drew his memories back to the all real pain and fear that had invaded his features not too long ago and he felt his mood lowering at the reminder of how drastically different the events could have ended.

Merlin felt Arthur cloud over with stress, anxiety and guilt and even caught sight of some memories of his own body lying unresponsive on the ground so he squeezed his friend's shoulder in comfort, sending waves of calm at his mind and following it with a gentle tone, _I'm fine Arthur. It doesn't matter how it might have ended just how it did. We're both alive and luckily on your part, both sane – I've even got my full magic back which feels so amazing; so don't dwell on the past._

Arthur responded with some strands of appreciation but he had to address the other lingering thought manifesting in the back of his head, _but we're now tied to each-others' lives! __As in an__ I die you die situation! I think that might classify as something to dwell on!_

Merlin smirked, not to be brought down by Arthur's panic, _well it does give you the problem of having to stop just chucking yourself about into big pointy sticks but apart from that it doesn't really make a difference anyway. Most of our past life and death moments have involved us both potentially dying – now we just have an assurance policy that we definitely would if an event presents itself._

The light-hearted response broke through the prince's attempt to remain serious and worried and he grinned, shoving Merlin with his elbow, _I think you'll find it's you who will have to stop following your nosey attitude and throwing yourself into the paths of angry magical beings!_

_Speaking of angry magical beings, _Merlin replied, moving from rubbing his back to his side,_Gaius will be wondering when we're getting back._

Arthur mentally nodded and began to ponder the location of all their travel items along with his horse which he had abandoned when trekking to the caves, _well that would be a plan if I knew where…_

But the slight turn of his head presented a burnt out fire, where next to it sat their bags which had been packed up and placed on the back of his saddled up horse.

Merlin sensed Arthur's confusion and signalled his head to the prepared items, _where are stuff was? Well it seems that Keepay guy's magic isn't just useful for connecting people's life forces._

Arthur quickly agreed with his friend but as Merlin released his shoulder and moved towards the horse the prince started to reel his mind for an explanation to the tidied bags_, I can understand the cave sending us back to where I originally arrived, but I doubt it comes with a packing service… oh right._

A small smile flickered onto his face at the thought of Floress, the sorceress who had helped him enough already, trekking back to the clearing just for the purpose of packing his items and the kindness of the gesture sent a warmth to his heart.

"Arthur?" The question was casual but focusing back on his friend he could sense the un-spoken question in response to the emotions he was emitting. Not feeling the desire to explain Floress to Merlin as he had only known her as the sorceress who had visited the castle and signed his death warrant, he replied with a different question brought on from the warlock's earlier wording regarding The Keepay.

"Can you remember anything from the cave?" He asked, walking over and placing a hand on his friends arm.

Merlin could sense that the question was not what Arthur had been thinking about but there seemed to be genuine reasoning behind it so he allowed him to continue with the chosen conversation, _not really. It's mostly just a blur; I can remember some moments vaguely – like when I first woke up and when I shouted at The Keepay__,__ but apart from that…_ and he let the thought end with a casual shrug.

Arthur stretched his arms as part of a yawn, actually doing so to give himself a second to be glad that Merlin didn't know the actual identity of The Keepay, feeling it to be better if Aurea could retain his desired secret as much as possible. But the thought-track on Aurea reminded him of something he had said, a sentence Arthur had wiped over at the time.

_The Keepay said you knew more than you were letting on after that outburst you had at him,_ Arthur asked as he let his hand fall back onto Merlin's shoulder, _what did he mean?_

A spark of guilt suddenly flooded Arthur's mind at the question and Merlin quickly stepped from his touch, moving to fiddle with the horses saddle as an excuse of clearly not wanting the prince to hear any thoughts, "We should probably leave now, it's getting darker and we can't really afford to be away longer than necessary."

Arthur frowned at his friend's obvious hidden answer and he felt Merlin's emotions fidget as he gave off the sense that he was going to call the warlock on his avoidance of the question, but Arthur felt that as he wasn't being completely honest either, it would only be fair to drop the subject.

"That's what I was thinking, it's a two day travel from here at full pelt so it will probably take us at least an extra day at average speed," Merlin nodded in response and already had one foot in the stirrup but he fell back to the ground as a hand gripped his shoulder and pushed him down, _wait a minute, now that you're conscious you can forget riding in-front of me again._

To prove his point Arthur fluently leapt onto the horse and threw Merlin some smug waves to where he lay on the floor; he felt the warlocks annoyance as he scrambled up, using his foot as a climbing grip, _seeing as how I'm the one who's been dying for the past few days it would be seen as common courtesy to give me the horse._

Tightening his grip on Arthur's foot, Merlin tensed his muscles in preparation to force the prince literally off his high horse but Arthur sensed his friend's mischief and gave the horse a light tap in the side causing it to gallop forward by a few paces; leaving Merlin to stumble backwards onto the floor once more.

"And seeing how I was the one who dragged your unconscious behind around for all those days I think I deserve the horse – do you know how heavy you get after more than an hour!" Arthur retorted, pulling the animal into a circle around Merlin before pulling its rein and leading him off into the forest.

"You have your magic back, use it!" He shouted back over his shoulder; he felt Merlin's annoyance but it quickly turned into determination and he knew the warlock was already working on an idea.

Pulling the horse to a halt behind the trees on the edge of the clearing so he could still see Merlin though the boy couldn't see him, Arthur looked up to the cave range looming over them; in where the Cave of Animas lay and within that, an old friend.

The few whispered words that had taken the place as the last sound he had heard before he had awoken from the cave lingered in his mind and he set his mind on the image of Aurea; sending out a silent promise to relay his message and in doing so, try and do his part in helping the boy overcome his self-inflicting torture.

He was snapped from his momentarily private thoughts as he sensed Merlin heading towards him, switching his gaze head on the prince only just managed to pull his horse out of the way as his friend barrelled towards him, full speed on a flying log.

"Hurry up lazy bones! Your horse's got nothing on my log!" Merlin shouted into the wind as he manoeuvred his way between the on-coming trees.

Arthur laughed at the absurd sight of the boy attempting to control the wind while hover the wood, resulting in him travelling into the distance on a bouncing piece of bark.

* * *

><p>The night sky had drawn in as Arthur and Merlin arrived at the edge of Camelot. Merlin had abandoned his log a few miles back at the demand of a very persistent wood-pecker and in that time had somehow managed to get himself riding the horse with Arthur leading him as the light became too low for the horse to guide itself.<p>

Merlin could sense his friend's on-coming complaint about having to walk yet again and beat him to the draw this time, _I had to use high level magic for 3 days which in energy is almost equivalent to running the whole distance, I think you can handle these last few paces_, he thought as he slouched down to grab Arthur's wrist placed by the horse's halter.

_Well you enter your own kingdom with sore feet leading your man-servant __whose __sitting on your horse – it's degrading!_ Arthur snapped back but with no true anger behind the thought; too tired to make the effort. Giving another forceful tug on the horse's rein he pulled the half-dead animal onto the draw-bridge, its hooves echoing through the sleeping houses.

Merlin mentally rolled his eyes, _stop whining, nobody's awake to see us so…_

But as the thought left his head a shout sounded from the top of the exterior castle wall, quickly followed by another and another until there was a mixture of unrecognisable words flying around the night sky.

The horse halted and shied away from the loud noise, Arthur moved to its side and gripped the saddle and halter to try and keep the animal from speeding off. The hold became more of a struggle as the clatter of feet and armour joined the voices, resembling a thunderstorm sweeping over the land.

_Arthur what's happening?_ Merlin's fingers were digging into Arthur's shoulder, his question calm yet wary but his mind sending off waves of panic and fear.

The prince's eyes were flicking to all the different look-out points on the castle wall and he could make out the shadows of men abandoning their posts and running towards where the stairs resided, _it sounds like the reaction to the castle being under-attack but we didn't see anything on our way here…_

Arthur's eyes widened as his mind clicked what was happening and Merlin caught his thought as it appeared, but the blocks of soldiers were already through the castle gate so there was no time for the warlock to react to the sense of his friend urging him to flee.

"Arrest the sorcerer!" The angered powerful order of Uther Pendragon rang from the castle wall and the soldiers surrounded the two men, spears trapping them in place.

A couple of men lunged forward and seized Merlin's arms, forcefully dragging him from the terrified bucking horse whose squeals were increasing the havoc that was occurring.

"Arthur!" Merlin shouted, kicking at the soldiers in a panicked attempt to free himself, he could feel swords digging into his back as the other guards crowded around him, stabbing him as he tried to escape.

The prince lunged onto the frantic horse, his stomach lying over its back and reached for his friend; he could feel the guards firmly tugging at his legs but he kept violently kicking to fend them off. He managed to clutch onto Merlin's wrist just as he felt the boy's magical presence escalate and sent out the desperate thought, _don't use magic until I know what's happening!_

Suddenly Arthur was roughly pulled off the horse and dragged away by a couple of guards despite his struggling; Merlin had disappeared into a sea of red but he could still hear his frightened cries and feel his panic as he was bullied into the castle.

Arthur pushed against the men holding him back and his face screwed up with the effort, "He's not a threat – don't treat him like one!" He frantically shouted to the army of soldiers, sensing Merlin's pain as he was repeatedly scratched with swords and spears but nobody listened and he only just caught sight of the last red cloak vanishing around the corner, taking Merlin with it.

The night fell quiet once more and Arthur slumped between the hold of the guards, the waves of fear streaming from his friend fuelling his defeat and guilt; _I ran off to save his life, only to come back and have him killed._

Please review, thank you :) x


	14. Weaving Words

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer:** Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline belongs to me

This is the penultimate chapter - the last one which will draw up all the rest of the loose ends will be up in the next few days :)

Thankyou so much for the people that have reviewed and the people who have favourited or put it on story alert, and to those people who aren't logged in so I can't reply to, a very special thank you - it all means so much to me xx

I hope you enjoy it x

Weaving Words

The morning sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, the blackness of night slowly melting away and the shadows of the castle lengthening across the courtyard in the dawning light; drawing a blanket over the pyre that sat forbearingly on the cobble stones.

The light rose up along the castle wall and hit a window causing a streak of reflected white to pass over the glass, highlighting the haggard, hollow-eyed face staring emptily at the collection of wood below.

Arthur could hear the forced light-footed steps outside his room as the servants began their duties, all purposely manoeuvring through the corridors with as much silence as possible to ensure they didn't wake the prince on passing.

But they were unnecessary actions on this dawn; the untouched bed and stiffness of Arthur's legs showing that the man had not found one second of sleep since being locked into his chambers. The night instead spent with pictures of Merlin burning and screaming, his blackened lifeless body being taken down from the pyre, his accusing eyes staring at him as the flames lashed at his body saying 'This is your fault'.

These images had also been visiting hand in hand with the secondary thoughts that showed his own lifeless body.

_Will I feel the flames alongside Merlin? Or will I just drop dead the moment the last breath leaves his body?_

Personally he felt that if he was fated to die alongside his friend he should have to feel the same amount of pain,_ I at least owe him that for everything he has done for me._

But this just brought on another flood of fantasies; Merlin's skin burning against the bite of flames, him lying on the floor desperately trying to escape the non-existent fire, their screams mingling together in the silence of the courtyard…

Arthur screwed his eyes shut in an attempt to force out the nightmares running around his mind, he couldn't allow himself to feel the pain and fright that the images brought as his friend didn't deserve to be put through the extra emotions in his already terrified mind as he lay trapped in the dungeons.

A shaky sigh escaped his lips and his head fell against the cold glass, hoping the sharp temperature would help jolt a plan, any plan into his head. So far his only course of action was glaring at the pyre as if it would disappear under his burning gaze.

_What am I supposed to do?_ He begged to the room which had recently become his singularly forced company.

Letting his gaze slip from the execution spot, it was automatically drawn to the only other two sources of light in the dim morning sky; the two fellow windows were placed opposite each-other on upper levels of the castle, both containing dark outlines that showed the prince wasn't the only one with an interest in the pyre.

Arthur's knuckles turned white as his father's face flashed under a stroke of the rising sun's rays, his ever blank expression retaining the belief that the man had no heart; _the only reason he's awake will be to make sure Merlin doesn't escape_, he spat, turning his head away at the sense of betrayal from his own flesh and blood.

But the second shadow that drew Arthur's eyes filled him with a pure hatred. Even through the distance the prince could see the self-satisfied smirk playing on Cirion's lips as he gleefully gazed at the pyre; _clearly he's not been able to sleep because he's so sickly excited about Merlin dying!_

Arthur felt his hand moving to the hilt of his sword that lay on the table next to him as he glared at the King; he had been lucky to leave with his life at the earlier meeting and now it was only the image of Aurea that was preventing Arthur from escaping his room and silting the man's throat; _he's lucky I care about his son!_

The 'meeting' Arthur's mind was drawing back into had been more of a pointless argument that had only achieved him being locked under guard in his chambers rather than an opportunity to fight his friend's case. But his father had listened to none of his pleas and had set Merlin's execution indefinitely, which in turn had unknowingly set his own.

Yet despite the decision lying on Uther's shoulders; it was Cirion who managed to become the recipient of the main aspect of Arthur's anger. The sly King had fought him at every word, throwing a blockage at all of Arthur's attempts at being reasonable with his father - plus the smug look on the man's face had done no extra favours.

* * *

><p>The prince had finally managed to convince the soldiers securing him that he was safe to release, although it was more threatening than convincing as Arthur's steel gaze and chilling voice knew no bounds when being held against his will. The moment the frightened pairs of arms loosened their hold he had shot in the direction that Merlin had been dragged; hoping that the boy had put up enough of a struggle so that he was still on the courtyard rather than down in the dungeons, which were slightly harder to infiltrate.<p>

Unfortunately the fates were against him and Arthur ran onto the open area to find it empty; with no sign that there had even been an army of soldiers forcing a skinny boy across the stone ground a few minutes prior.

Arthur hands clenched into fists and he brought one up to his mouth, biting sharply on the knuckle to silence a cry of rage which would have only caused unwanted attention in the eerie silence of the night.

_I need to get him out of the Kingdom, _it was the only course of action that would end with them both still breathing, _and it shouldn'__t be too hard; our dungeons haven't exactly got the best track record__._

But on sneaking a glance around one of the pillars of the open-air corridor to check on the state of the door that led down to the dungeons he cursed on seeing that it had two guards placed stiffly outside; sharpened spears forming an x in-front of the un-kempt wood.

_The one time my father decides to actually guard a prisoner!_ Arthur knew just from the sight of the two men that it would be impossible for him to reach Merlin, let alone get him out. Normally those under arrest would simply have a couple of guards standing watch outside the cell as they waited for their execution; although realistically this translated to a couple of guards drinking and gambling somewhere in the area near the cell.

The lack of discipline on the dungeon guards behaviour was the reason that the warning bell ended up ringing nearly every time someone was thrown into a cell; it was such an occurrence that on the night following an arrest, the soldiers of the castle would sleep at their posts rather than going home as they knew that they'd most likely be spending their resting time chasing after the escaped prisoner.

But on the nights that guards could be seen at the entrance to the staircase leading to the dungeons; the soldiers would gratefully leave to sleep in their own beds for the short time, knowing that two guards at the worst escape route from the cells meant that there would also be a collection of armed men at every other access point throughout the castle; especially at the grate at the edge of the forest. It was commonly mentioned among the men that if they set up a permanent camp by that tunnel they would never lose another prisoner; but nobody warmed to the thought of living in tents on the cold, prickly forest floor so the idea or knowledge of the popular escape route was never mentioned to the King.

Arthur let his head fall back against the stone pillar, allowing himself a moment to draw his mind out to his friend; he could feel his nerves and annoyance at the situation along with the typical Merlin concern for the prince's well-being, but otherwise he seemed fine. Lowering his breath, Arthur sent out a quick wave of confidence to the warlock which was returned with a spark of hope and trust; using the emotion and feel of his friend's reliance to spur him on, Arthur braced his body and mind before forcing himself to leap out of the outer corridor and sprint towards the council chamber, _if escape's not possible__,__ then I__ guess I'm__ left with the legal route._

He ran through the torch lit corridors without hesitation, his mind containing a permanent map of the castle leaving no need to consider the quickest path to reach his destination. Usually the council chamber would be locked at this late hour but Arthur knew his father, and Uther would want to be on full alert as he wouldn't trust anyone to keep the arrest of a sorcerer under control bar himself; well apart from his son but seeing how he was currently sprinting to plead the release of said sorcerer, he hardly applied.

Just as Arthur reached the heavy doors a slither of common sense managed to creep through his blind instinctive nature when it came to situations that angered him and he uncharacteristically reined in his habit of dramatically bursting into rooms before confrontations; _those forms of entrances haven't done me any good so far._

Closing his eyes he concentrated on bringing forward his over-used blank prince façade. As the seconds passed Arthur could feel his features erasing the anger and panic from his face and drawing together to highlight an interested yet not overly-concerned expression.

Feeling more clear-minded towards the conversation he was about to invoke the prince calmly opened the wooden door and slid through the gap, gently closing it behind him as an extra precaution to not come across as angry or unreasonable.

Uther stood at the end of the long table, his back turned to the door and his hands firmly clasped behind his body; Arthur noticed his shoulders tense at the sound of the door closing, obviously waiting for an outburst of threats and abuse from the voice of his son but when none came, the King cautiously turned to face the prince, a questioning look in his eye.

"Arthur…"

But the prince cut off the beginning of a scolding tone and bowed his head with a humbling grace, "Father, I must apologise for my actions, I directly ignored an order and carried out my own selfish desires to go on a hunting trip. I realise that what I did was disrespectful and I will willingly take any punishment that you see fit."

Arthur had to hold back a laugh at the astounding shock on the King's face, clearly not expecting his son's three day absence to be the conversation opener; _just ease him into it…_

"Well I'm glad to hear that," Uther slowly replied, the internal monologue he had prepared for his son's anger becoming useless with the sudden use of respect, "Although under the newly arisen events I don't think a punishment is needed."

Arthur's polite smile became slightly more forced and he let out a tight laugh at his father's flippant mention of his friend's impending murder, "Yes… the arrival back was quite a shock, but I don't believe it's fair for my decisions to be blamed on someone else; my actions mean my consequences. I fully understand your judgement to have my manservant arrested for sorcery as it is indeed the quickest route for punishment but how will I grow as a prince if I allow others to take the fall for my mistakes."

He could see the confusion in his father's eyes at his apparent naivety towards why Merlin was set for execution, but Arthur was trying a new route of getting his point across; confidently declaring his opinion that his friend was being arrested as punishment for the forbidden hunting trip rather than true sorcery subtly drew forward that he would never even dream of his manservant being a sorcerer, _at least it should have a better effect than screaming Merlin's innocence like I normally do._

Then, for the first time in Arthur's life; he didn't get a reply.

But unlike previous times when it would be because his father had stormed out of the room or decided that his son's comments were just not worth his time; this silence was due to the fact that it actually seemed as if Uther was contemplating Arthur's words.

The prince relished in the silence, only just stopping himself from punching the air in triumph as a spark of hope for Merlin and his own life lit.

Suddenly a sharp pointed cough echoed off the walls and Arthur's head snapped around to witness a sight that drew up a hammer and began to violently batter his hopeful attitude.

Cirion smirked as Arthur caught his gaze; casually leaning against a pillar by the entrance, the look in his eyes showed that he'd been in the room for the entire time. As Uther glanced at him in response to the cough the eavesdropping King's face rapidly melted into a mask of sympathy and he threw the prince an annoyingly convincing sad smile, "Arthur, I don't think you realise," he sighed, even throwing a 'poor boy' look at Uther, "Merlin's arrest isn't to do with you going hunting without permission, it's because… unfortunately – he truly is a sorcerer."

The performance he was watching was definitely explaining to Arthur how nobody but him had yet seen through his lies; he was a frustratingly good actor. Even he could almost believe that the man was actually torn by Merlin's upcoming execution.

"Although we realise that you would never dream that your manservant could be holding such a secret…" the sentence continued with a knowing glance which Arthur fought to not externally react to; _shoot he knows my game._

"…But it has been drawn to our attention by a witness that it is sadly so."

Arthur frowned at the mention of a witness, the new fact changed the level of play as he was suddenly no longer sure of the cards the King held; _does Cirion actually know about Merlin's magic or is it j__ust one of his well-formed lies, __where __this time __he is unknowingly correct in his accusation?_

He turned back to his father who was easier to read and more predictable regarding his higher knowledge, but he mentally cursed on seeing that his gaze no longer held contemplation and was set back to a determined sorcerer blood lust following Cirion's reminder on why he'd arrested Merlin.

"Well who is this witness? And how reliable are they?" Arthur asked, directing the questions to his father.

But it seemed Cirion had suddenly become Uther's mouth as he replied instead, "He is one of my citizens and I can ensure he is one of the most trustworthy men I know."

Arthur glared at the talkative man before turning back to his father, taking a deep breath to attempt to control his rising anger, "Does this man have a name or any background information?"

"I would rather keep him anonymous, for his own protection." This time the prince refused to look at the hassling King in fear of punching the man, but he could still feel his hands already balling into fists.

Releasing a sharp draft of breath Arthur attempted to converse with his father yet again, "So what were the circumstances that this _witness_ saw?"

And unsurprisingly a hand fell on his shoulder from behind and the unfortunate familiar voice followed, "A few months ago my citizen was passing through a forest and happened across a fight occurring between yourself, a group of bandits and your apparent incapable manservant…"

Arthur flinched at the King's words, his mind knowing the exact incident that the man was referring to; _the day of the reveal._

Cirion's grip tightened at the prince's reaction and he flicked a curious glance over the brief flash of panic on the boy's before it was reined back to its blank setting; a spark of realisation suddenly hit the King from the moment of control loss and an accusing eyebrow raised in surprise, _so Goldey knows of his little pet's magic…_

Cirion's mind only took a couple of seconds to come to this new gold-mine of information, leaving only a slight pause in his sentence before he continued, although this time with slight more malice in his tone, "He saw you bravely fight more numbers of men than possible for any mere soldier, but he spoke of how you easily had the upper-hand and were in need of no help; plus as a lowly un-trained farmer he felt that if he were to get involved he would become a hindrance rather than support."

Arthur turned to glare at the King as he thickly layered on his compliments, _all __to__ clearly hide the blatant lies and excuses hidden among them; I can't believe my father has actually brought this!_

"But then he momentarily averted his eyes from the wonders of your fighting abilities and spotted a helpless weak boy, your manservant, watching the scene from behind a tree. He was confused as to why the boy wasn't aiding you as he assumed he must be some form of servant but these questions were cast from his mind as he witnessed a fiendish villain running to attack the boy from behind and he was about to shout a warning when…"

Arthur had to fight to hold back an eye-roll at the man's over-theatrics but clicked his knuckles as he impatiently waited for him to finish his climatic yet pathetic gasp of breath before announcing, "The boy spun around, his wild eyes flashing a threatening gold and his hand violently thrust towards the approaching victim,"

The prince released a sarcastic mutter of shock at Cirion's sudden change of heart for the bandit but it went unnoticed.

"And with a shout of a string of demon sounds the poor man went flying through the air, cracking his head on a sharp rock as he landed… killing him instantly."

Cirion ended with a whisper, spreading his hands out in a slow sweep as if he had just finished telling a folk legend around the campfire. Arthur's mouth gaped open in disbelief to how fantasied the witness story actually sounded, he turned to his father, expecting him to have the same expression about him but somehow the man was actually nodding his head in grave understanding; _am I the only sane royal in this castle!_

Arthur's head snapped back and fore between the two men, his mouth uselessly remaining slacked open as the ridiculousness of the whole situation barricaded the output of the numerous phrases that were swirling in his head.

But as the seconds of silence passed the prince began to analyse the story Cirion had fed them, _I know that's not what happened… yet his description of Merlin performing magic was correct; minus the negative adjectives – and he did throw some of the bandits through the air – and one of them did smash into a rock when he died…_

The sudden hints of truth in the supposed witness account began to edge Arthur away from the notion that Cirion was simply making everything up just to get Merlin executed, and he seemed so confident in what he was saying – _does he actually know about Merlin's magic?_

With this worrying question Arthur slowly looked back to the King, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head as he tried to read how much the man truly did know.

He got his answer when Cirion returned the expression with a smug grin and a dangerous fire in his pupils.

The two men held each-others gaze in a silent combat, neither taking in Uther's droning voice as he began to talk about something to do with the execution; they were playing a vicious game where Arthur attempted to figure out what else Cirion was hiding, while the other kept his cocky features firmly lit to block off any clear information being read.

_I can tell he knows something more, and he knows that I haven't worked out what that is. He's cocky in the fact that he has the upper-hand… but what other card has he – _

A thought struck his mind and his eyes widened in horror.

_The witness isn't true but someone did see that fight – meaning if they saw Merlin perform magic they must have seen me…_

He saw Cirion's mouth melt into a satisfied smirk as he felt the blood run from his face and his fears were confirmed as the King interrupted Uther's singular conversation and innocently asked with a clear daring under-tone, "Anything to add to that version of events Arthur?"

The prince mentally cursed as the hundreds of pointed statements that would show the clear holes in Cirion's tale from his witness scattered to the corners of his mind, _he knows that I'm aware of Merlin's magic – I can't argue against his story without him revealing that to my father… he's trapped me._

Arthur's mouth barely moved as he forced out a, "No."

The small quirk of an eyebrow on Cirion's mocking face just called for the man to visit the force of his right fist; multiple times.

But Arthur had to force down his violent urges as he knew they wouldn't respond well with his father, and he was now the only person left whose view he could contradict.

"Father...," The prince began, his voice shaking slightly from the whelming emotions he was having to suppress, "Father, the account of one witness, an unknown man for that – it's logically not reliable enough to base a man's life on."

Amazingly Uther's voice actually came with the answer this time, although the message unfortunately followed that of Cirion, "Arthur, this witness is no stranger, he is a citizen of a good friend of ours so therefore can be trusted; I realise this reveal of betrayal is hard but you must accept it."

He could see that like every prior incident his father's mind had been clouded to any argument by the word 'magic', especially if he was willingly referring to Cirion as a 'good friend'. As the realisation that his words were falling on deaf ears hit him, his compressed rage towards Uther's prejudice, Cirion's scheming; Merlin's pain and the whole event that he'd been going through for so long began to claw up through his body and he snapped.

"I can't accept it because it's not true!" He shouted; the original plan of a calm discussion failing as his moral and personal opinions over-took his tactical traits.

Uther predictably responded to his son's insolence with matching anger, his cheeks flushing at being spoken to in such a manner in-front of another royal, the people who he had to keep a strong and fearing presence over to keep them under control; and the fact that it was Cirion made it all the more irritating.

"I do not care if you accept it, enjoy it, hate it or wish to spend the remainder of your days in the dungeons writing a beautiful list on all the reasons that you feel the law is not up to your standards! But that boy of yours has broken the most upheld rule of them all and on my word will he face the consequences!"

The King's fiery tone sliced through the air and normally Arthur's sensibility would tell him that his father had crossed over the line of his maximum tolerance and that he should back away slowly with no hope of convincing the man to do anything apart from what his mind was set on.

But this time, the prince had crossed the line right alongside his father.

"How do you call this a law," He manically laughed, throwing his hands up as if to poke at the holes in the flawed kingdom, "A law would mean that the suspected party would be put through a trial before the members of the council and judged for their crimes – you just grab anyone you please and throw them to the flames without a single word of warning! That's not the law – that's murder!"

"How dare you speak to me in such a way!" Uther roared with a voice only sounded for passing words with enemies, "That boy got the equivalent to a fair trial and his death will be for the good of my people and land!"

"Fair trial! He got no such thing – and you weren't planning to give him one! The pyre was already set up on our arrival!"

"His reaction was a trial enough!"

"What reaction!" Arthur screamed with a madness to his scratched tone, "He did nothing! There was not one spark of magic! If he were a sorcerer do you really think he would still be lying in your cursed dungeons right now?"

"The reason he is still there is because I know how to guard my prisoners!"

"Oh of course!" The prince venomously drawled, "Shall I just go and get all our ex-prisoners to come and congratulate you on what a wonderful job you're doing at keeping them under lock and key?"

The sharp cut of flesh hitting flesh snapped through the room and Arthur looked at his father in horrified disbelief; the deep red handprint on his cheek hiding the sight of the blood rushing from his face.

Uther leant in inches from his son's stunned face and roughly grabbed his collar, almost choking him as he prevented him from moving away from his furious expression.

"That is enough." The King hissed with a new coldness to his tone that actually sent a shiver of fear down the prince's spine.

A strong silence filled the wired atmosphere as father and son shared a gaze filled with a frantic wave of raging emotions that both had managed to carefully tread around in the past. The saying 'like father, like son' was one that described the small family well on the subject of anger, their slicing words and proud stubbornness set them as equals deserving of fear when of the same opinion, but catastrophic enemies when their desires conflicted. Usually one would grudgingly back down when such situations arose, neither brave enough to see where they would end up if the topic continued to be pushed from both sides; but finally a difference had appeared that had forced their hands to over-step that boundary, and it wasn't pretty.

The grip on Arthur's tunic wasn't being lessened and he fought to not squirm as the material dug into his skin as he didn't want to be the first to show weakness; with the lingering silence seemingly not going to be broken by his father due to the venom in his eyes, Arthur took the opportunity to attempt to bring some reason back to the King.

But unfortunately in the midst of their anger both men had forgotten about the third presence among them and it seemed that Cirion had decided that the moment he was clearly not involved in, was the moment he had to be a part of.

A pair of hands slid on top of Uther's tensed fists which were clinging to his son's clothing and he gave them a gentle squeeze, gently whispering to the two royals, "I'm very sorry, I really didn't mean to cause all of this trouble."

The quiet words shattered the raging gaze between the King and prince and two sets of eyes flicked to the persistent man, surveying him with disgust. Uther because he could hardly believe that the lowly man had actually dared to touch him, let alone push himself into an obvious private situation; and Arthur because the sentence that had just left the man's lips was bleeding with so much dis-honesty he could hardly believe the message that his son still wanted him to receive.

Uther was the first to recover and he snatched his hands from the hold of the King, his lip curling as he forced out a polite tone, "Of course not Cirion, it is only Arthur who has caused the trouble."

The prince didn't register the blame sniped on him, he was too focused on resisting the still increasing idea of killing the sickening King; the man had been building barricades at every word he had tried to say, even the fury his father now held for him had been lit by the royal and Arthur could take no more from him.

In one last attempt to try and find a way to save Merlin from the flames the prince called upon his only glimmer of hope, "I want to talk to Gaius."

A smug grin. A raised eyebrow. A fake apology.

"I'm sorry, my sister contacted me to inform that she was of weak health and without a physician; your father kindly sent Gaius to attend to her – he won't return for at least a week."

Arthur saw red; all his plans, all his tactics had been destroyed by the words of that man and all he could think was that Cirion might as well be running a sword through Merlin's stomach in cold blood, _I don't care about promises – I'm going to kill him!_

He lunged at the King with a rabid cry of pure hatred, his fists already on a path to his face when a rough order was barked and he found himself being held by four guards for the second time that night; his arms were snapped behind his back and his chest was being pushed away from Cirion, the holds staying firm despite his struggles.

"Take him to his chambers and do not let him out until I say otherwise!"

The guards began to drag him towards the door on his father's command, their grunts sounding as the prince fought against them like a wild animal. Suddenly he slacked in their grip and the shock of the loss of the opposite force caused them all to stumble; Arthur had Cirion by the throat as soon as the hold fell and he leant towards the man's ear, sharply hissing, "Hate me all you want; it will never change the fact that it was you who killed Aurea."

The guards were back on him in a second and shoved him off the startled King with all the violence used for a common criminal; Arthur let them treat him as such, loosening his body to allow them to easily drag him from the room because he had what he wanted.

Arthur took a moment of satisfaction at the flash of pure, honest pain on Cirion's face from his words before the wooden doors were slammed shut.

* * *

><p>The prince smacked his hand against the window, the blank canvas in his head mocking him at his incapability to plan, think, achieve. He was famous for his instinctive nature of being able to get out of any situation flung at him; but now when he needed that trait the most, it was failing him.<p>

With one more desperate look at the pyre, he forced himself to back away from the window and the painful realities it brought and he collapsed behind his desk; dropping his head onto the wood and re-starting the mental search for an idea – the waves of trust wrapping around his slumped body only intensifying his need for action, _even now he leaves all his hope in me; he really is an idiot._

* * *

><p>Footsteps pounded above Merlin's head, the hurried paces sending dim vibrations down the cold stone wall that he was hunched against; there was no question as to why the morning duties were more panicked that day.<p>

The young warlock gave no response to the sounds that indicated that the night had escaped him; he remained curled up on the small splintered bed, legs hugged to his chest and chin resting atop, glazed eyes staring at the opposite wall with no indication of being aware of his surroundings.

Merlin hadn't shifted from the uncomfortable position since being placed in the dark empty cell in the early hours of the morning and it had drastically un-nerved the guards; if they hadn't had the reassurance of the gentle rise and fall of the boy's chest they would have be adamant that he was dead.

Neither guard felt comfortable with the duty that they had been assigned; Merlin was a good man, everyone knew that. He took the time to chat to all the castle staff, would help with a job that wasn't his if he had the time, for goodness sake he'd be helping even if he didn't have the time. And now the thought that they were going to be indirectly involved with the boy's death; it sent a punch of guilt straight to their stomachs.

Merlin didn't see the concerned and conflicted glances his two guards kept sending him; his body may have been trapped in the dungeons awaiting death, but his mind wasn't.

Similar to Arthur's habit when the warlock had been under Cirion's order for those three days, Merlin had pushed his mind fully into the connection on arrival and had spent the night letting his friend's emotions flood over him despite the prince's clear attempt to protect the boy from the less than hopeful feelings.

Due to this, he had been able to grasp the rough concept of what his friend's actions had included; a brief idea of a break-out, a full blown argument along with a near killing, although directed at which King he couldn't tell, and finally the poorly hidden defeat as the sun continued to grow on their death day.

A heavy streak of sunlight passed over Merlin's face through the tiny barred window and forced him to screw up his eyes and automatically flinch away from the sudden contrast to the dark room; snapping his mind out of Arthur's growing verge of a manic panic attack in his chambers.

The dull thud of the cell door opening followed the sign of the fully risen sun and Merlin slowly turned his head to look up at the pained faces of Sam and Owen standing in wait to escort him to the pyre.

Instinctively his magic began to rise at the sense of coming danger and for a moment he considered allowing it to release itself; it would be an easy escape, no casualties, no hassle, no execution.

_No – I need to trust Arthur,_ _he'll think of something_.

Merlin knew that it was just a weak sentence full of false hope but he still used it to quell the twitching power within his body, _and I can't risk it, what if I __got __shot or stabbed on route, then Arthur would die even quicker – at least if I leave it as a last minute option it still gives us a small chance to save ourselves without having to flee the kingdom._

A gentle cough broke through his thoughts and the warlock zoned back to the two guards, he could tell that they weren't happy about what they were having to do which was why he wasn't being forcefully dragged out to the main courtyard per usual.

With a resigned sigh Merlin sent his friend a last burst of confidence in hope it would help kick his mind out of the thoughts of their deaths and into the path of a plan before calmly stepping towards the door.

He gave both men a small forgiving smile as he passed through the door and it was returned with a guilty 'Sorry' from Sam and a comforting squeeze on the shoulder from Owen. They allowed Merlin to take the lead and fell in step either side a pace behind him, giving him the little they could by allowing him to keep his dignity in his final moments; the formation showing him as a respected man rather than some lowly criminal.

As Merlin took the route through the castle corridors the people of the building fell quieter with each step; everyone he passed stopped their activities to watch him walk by with his head high, back straight, shoulders braced and all without an ounce of fear on his face.

The awkward clumsy servant was gone and in his place walked a strong and powerful man.

Hands began to reach out to him; friends, acquaintances and strangers alike. Everyone wanted to touch him, pat him, stroke him and offer the small amount of comfort they could give; but also they wanted to say the unspoken words of, 'I don't agree with this.'

Merlin took all the out-stretched hands in his own, giving them gentle squeezes of gratitude and comfort for all the support and love he was being shown. It no longer mattered if Uther hated him, he knew the people held a place for him in their hearts and that was enough to keep him walking towards the pyre.

The stack of wood came into his sight but he didn't falter; the comforting hands increased as he made his way through the crowd and he broke his forward gaze to give small nods and smiles to the people that were showing pain on his behalf. He didn't bother looking up to the royal balcony; he could sense Arthur's fear for both of them coming from his chambers where he had obviously been locked to stop him from helping his friend.

_I wonder how Uther would feel if he knew that those actions were setting his son's execution as well as my own this morning._

Unfortunately the realisation that Arthur wasn't going to be performing any last minute rescues meant the warlock had to start his own plan on how to get them both out of the kingdom, _it will have to be the second before the torch lights the pyre,__ the moment he lets his guard fall;__ let Uther think he's won before throwing it all __back __in his face._

On reaching his execution stand a guard he recognised as Daniel appeared from the crowd and placed a stool in front of Merlin's feet, once again a sign to subtly inform the King that this decision wasn't to anyone's liking, and the warlock gracefully stepped up onto the pyre instead of having the normal demeaning treatment of being lifted onto the wood.

He couldn't help smirking at Uther's look of fury at the actions of his men.

Gareth, a young soldier who Merlin had once taken the blame for his mistake of not shutting the stable doors and allowing the horses to run havoc stepped up behind him and tied his hands to the wooden pole; the knots were loose and although they still held him in place, they gave him no discomfort.

The warlock whispered a thanks to the man, taking a second to fully appreciate all the actions he had just received from so many; allowing himself to enjoy the last time they would be willing to show such care for him, _they'll all hate me when they find out the accusation of magic is true._

Shaking the thought away and shutting Arthur's desperation to the corner of his mind, Merlin lifted his head and met the King's gaze with a look that gave off the aura that it should be Uther looking up to him rather than the other way around.

He kept a knowing smile on his face as the man began to give the common speech about the evilness of magic as he knew it was infuriating the King even further; but he didn't listen to the words leaving the royals mouth, his concentration was set on the moment the magic roaring inside him would be released.

* * *

><p>Arthur watched his friend stand firmly on the pyre with frantic eyes; <em>we're going to die, we're going to die<em>, becoming the running commentary in his head as the rope tied Merlin to the wooden pole.

He could feel the decisive waves hurtling from the boy, confirming his hunch that the warlock would be ready to use magic to save their lives despite him promising that he would keep the secret alive until Arthur implied otherwise.

It wasn't that the prince wanted to die; it was more that during the night he had realised that in the long run fleeing the kingdom with a sorcerer right before his father's face would create the same effect, if not a worse one, as being found mysteriously stone dead on his bedroom floor.

_I'd most likely be dis-inherited, Merlin would have an automatic bounty placed on his head leaving our lives to become a constant game of hide-and-seek with the large collection of greedy money hunters, my father would go on a mass execution spree lying false blame on citizens because he wouldn't be able to handle my betrayal and due to this, if I did end up returning to take place on the throne after his death my people would probably kill me themselves for causing their lives to fall into an even worse state than they currently are._

In conclusion the future that would most likely come about from the current way Merlin was planning to fix the situation wasn't ideal.

Arthur was mentally screaming at his friend, shooting balls of disagreement at his mind to stop him from performing any magic, plastering every emotion under the sun at the boy to try and grab his attention; but from the oblivious expression and the none deceasing determination coming off the warlock, the prince could tell that he had been locked into a corner of Merlin's mind, _why did he have to be the one with the ability to do that!_

He slammed his hand against the glass in frustration, desperation and urgency swelling quicker in his stomach as he saw his father begin the execution speech, _even if Merlin did listen to me; I still have no alternative plan!_

Slamming down on his chair and shoving aside the plate of breakfast that had been left earlier his hands began to drum on the table; his body unable to remain still as his mind kept yelling at him to jump into some form of action.

Clutching his head he forced himself to take the situation in steps, _I don't know how Merlin does this kind of thing under all this pressure on a weekly basis!_

He responded with a self-inflicted sharp slap, _this isn't focusing!_

_Right,_ he drew his thought track back to the situation, _step one, get out of my room._

It was clearly a simple beginning but it did hold truth; he needed to get out of the chambers.

_Which is an impossible task in itself; I can't even speak to the guards let alone get them to casually open the door to let me just waltz out!_

His hands now pounding against the table as his mind ran into over-load accidently scraped the edge of the silver plate carrying his un-eaten breakfast causing it to clatter onto the floor, the small pieces of bread, which was more than he had expected, rolling to a halt next to it.

The abrupt noise had briefly spiked his attention and he cast a half-glance to the discarded plate, ignoring the useless accident; but suddenly he found his eyes slowly dragging back to the silver item as his thoughts began to gather from the mists onto one track and finally, a well-overdue flash of inspiration hit him.

Arthur dramatically tripped over his chair and sent it flying backwards as he collapsed onto the floor and quickly scrambled to shove the few pieces of bread into his tunic pocket before grabbing the empty plate and flinging himself towards the entrance to his room.

Catching his body just in time to prevent a collision with the solid wood, he carefully took a place up against the right hand door, slowly raising the plate above his head, his muscled arms braced, _the guard on the left is the one who keeps coming in with my meals, for the sake of his life he better use the same side of the door he's used so far to come in._

Drawing a firm breath and trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible the prince lightly called out, "Guard, I'm done with my breakfast."

There was a click of a lock and then the slow movement of the left-side handle tilting to the side as the door was pushed open by the unprepared guard.

The second the man stepped into the room the silver plate crashed down on his head with brute force and he crumpled to the ground; the second guard jumped in shock but before he could even compute what had happened he was watching the prince's back disappear around the corridor corner.

Arthur's legs were on fire, he could not remember a time where he had been running with such speed; the stone corridors practically vibrated at the sheer force that his body hit the walls as he pushed around a corner and the few staff left in the building crashed to the side as they tried to jump out of the prince's path.

_Merlin!_ His head was pounding from the strength of waves he was sending out as he attempted to gain his friend's attention, but the boy was seemingly better at shielding his mind than he had let on as he got no response to his mental shouts; just the ever-growing sense of the warlock's magic getting closer to condemning them to a life as fugitives.

A startled yelp sounded as a young maid and her pile of laundry went flying as Arthur collided with her arm on passing, a collection of the unwashed clothes landing on the prince but in his haste the new accessories went unnoticed.

The great door leading to the main courtyard finally came into view and just as Merlin's magic reached the brink of release he burst onto the top steps with a desperate shout of "Stop!"

The courtyard went silent as the cry echoed across the area, slowly fading out after a few quieter repeats until only the sound of the prince's heavy breathing was left.

Every head was turned in the direction of the entrance steps, each holding the same bewildered expression at the sight of the red-faced prince standing there with a manic glint in his eyes and an arrangement of dirty clothes on his head and shoulders.

Arthur stared at his people as they stared at him, _this is where it would have been useful to plan step two in advance._

He shot a quick glance at Merlin; the warlock was studying him with a raised eyebrow and the emotions he was emitting gave the general sense of 'this is the plan I've been waiting for?'

Quickly moving his eye-line he risked a look up to where his father stood on the balcony, his hand still raised from where he had just been about to signal the lighting of the pyre; surprisingly the King's mouth was hung open in a fully shocked expression at the unexpected entrance of his son, explaining why the silence had yet to have been broken.

_And now what do I do?_ Arthur knew that he was lucky not to already be back under restraint, it seemed an overly dramatic outburst did sometimes have its uses.

He already understood from his most recent experience that doing anything that involved anger was not going to gain anything, especially with the added lack of dignity he was currently displaying, but he also thought that continuing to stand in silence probably wouldn't save any lives either.

Then a small image came up from his memories; that brief moment when his father had actually listened to his words before Cirion had stirred up the anger; _he__ didn't react until I clearly contradicted him…_

"You realise these clothes need to be washed Merlin," Arthur stated in a tone used if he had been lounging in his chambers rather than standing before an execution, "And your dumber than I thought if you think I'm going to do them."

As he spoke he picked the mentioned items off his head and piled them into his arms while casually beginning to walk down the steps and towards the pyre.

He could still feel the blast of confusion firing from his friend but luckily Merlin didn't show this on his features and in his typical trusting Arthur manner, played along, "And do you realise that they're not your clothes; unless you've suddenly demoted yourself to the guard's attire." He dryly added.

Rolling his eyes Arthur stopped next to a soldier who was holding the left over rope from the strand that was currently tying Merlin to the pyre and handed him the pile of laundry with a grateful smile; in turn taking the rope from his grasp.

"Well I'll be demoting you to the pig pen if you don't watch yourself," He replied as he climbed up the stool and onto the foundation of wood alongside his now completely lost friend.

"Seeing as how I currently work for you it wouldn't take too much adjustment," Merlin returned, his face playing out the façade of a common banter session while he sent out emotions prodding at Arthur to give a hint at what on earth he was actually doing.

The prince smirked but didn't respond, instead focusing on tying his newly acquired rope onto his wrists and then proceeding to connect himself to the wooden pole that Merlin currently occupied.

This action was what suddenly managed to snap Uther from his disbelief, the obvious act of rebellion digging up a response where the casual talk had just blown over his head and his voice raged through the crowd, "Arthur what are you doing!"

At the shout Merlin faked a flinch so he could lean slightly into Arthur's arm, _I agree with that question._

_Hush, I'm trying to improvise step three_, he unhelpfully answered.

"Father," Arthur raised his head to meet the fiery gaze of the King, ignoring the curious gazes of his citizens and blocking out Merlin's confusion he addressed his sole parent with the strong and controlled voice of a prince.

"You have spent so many years teaching me the ways to rule a kingdom, the need for law, the need for order and the need for discipline. I took in all of these lessons, studied them in hope to become as great of a ruler as you are one day, as I grew even began to practice some of them."

Taking a brief pause he was encouraged by the lack of shouting so continued with slight more emotion to his tone.

"But I couldn't pull off those methods to the same effect as you; your people may fear you but they still respect and love you. With me… well they just saw me as that annoying spoilt prat."

He smirked at the few nervous chuckles that lifted from the crowd of people.

"And I can't disagree with that because I was just a snarky prince who only cared about himself, I didn't see the point in thinking about the needs of the people I was supposed to rule one day. But then I was shown the light of my behaviour and taught that only caring about myself would never lead me to be a good King, that I would never earn respect and love through my manners."

Giving Merlin a sharp nudge in the side and rolling his eyes he sighed, "However much I really don't want to admit it because he's annoying enough without an inflated ego added on, Merlin taught me these things. He got me to meet the citizens and see why I should care for them and fight to protect them, the way I saw him get involved in all of their lives showed me that they were all people with needs as well as me and it enlightened me to the fact that we're all connected to each other through our love for our kingdom and home."

Spreading his arms out to include all the people watching him with a sense of awe and joy he gave his father a small smile, "Because when it comes down to it, if I can't protect my idiot manservant, how can I expect to protect my people; and if I can't protect my people, then how can Camelot continue to exist. However much we try to deny it, we are all connected to one another, peasant, solider, knight and royal alike because if we weren't – then we might as well be living separately in caves miles apart from anyone."

Scanning the courtyard he sent his last line to the citizens spread around him, "Because, what I have learnt over these past years is that Camelot isn't the kingdom… it's the people."

The second silence of the day fell over the castle but this time it was filled with pride rather than bewilderment; every man and woman was surveying their prince in a light of new found respect, seeing the evidence of the boy who had finally become the sight of a future King.

Arthur felt the flush of warmth grow within him at the response his spontaneous speech had drawn from the people, it gave him hope in the fact that he was destined to be a great King like Merlin had told him so many times; usually he would simply agree to ease his friends mind but for the first time ever, he actually believed it.

_And if I have the power to be a renowned ruler, then I must be able to alter the opinion of the current one._

But on raising his eyes back to the balcony where his father stood all those positive emotions fled to the pit of his stomach as he felt his skin practically burn under the scrutiny of Uther's gaze.

_Well you moved me_, the warlock's voice jibed as he simultaneously noticed that Arthur's words had obviously only led to anger the King further.

_Merlin I could have just given a speech on toadstools and you'd have been bawling_, the prince automatically responded, his mind already flipping through all the half formed ideas he was scrabbling for from the back of his brain.

"Guards! Remove the prince and light the pyre!" Uther ordered through gritted teeth, clearly struggling to retain his indifferent façade with the display of disrespect to his leadership being thrown at him by his own son.

The guards surrounding the wood only shuffled their feet at the King's demand, throwing each other nervous glances, nobody wanting to be the first to go against the prince; especially after the speech that had admittedly made a lot of sense. But at the even more aggravated second bark the men reluctantly slouched over to the execution spot; none putting much haste into their approach.

Merlin cast a cautious wave at Arthur as the men, however slowly, did begin to surround them,_ l__ook__,__ I know you don't want me to use my magic due to that detailed future you've gone and planned out in your head but I can see that you have no other plan__,__ and if it comes down to living in the forest or us both dying – well let's just say I'd sooner see myself picking berries if you don't mind._

Arthur wasn't listening, his eyes were flickering around the courtyard,_ I need a different angle!_

_How about an angle firmly in the middle of a forest!_ Merlin desperately asked as the first guard stepped onto the small wooden stool.

_Think!_ He whispered to himself,_ what gets my father riled even more than sorcery?_

_I don't know but my magic's getting pretty riled by the proximity of this guard!_

_Something that will always gain his attention…_

_His attention? How about my attention! Guard about to grab you Arthur!_

_He loses all focus when somebody tries to kill me!_

_Which is what he's currently in the process of doing you –_

"Cirion!" The prince's voice rang out with accusation brimming in the tone; sensing the opportunity to escape having to help continue with the execution proceedings the surrounding guards froze in their positions; the one who had his hand inches from Arthur's arm quickly snatching it away as if it had been burnt.

An echo followed the shout; the first wary but still with a layer of anger, the second confused and silent to the rest of the world and the rest a collective muttering of the unpopular King's name as to how he was involved in the situation.

There was a fourth sickly innocent voice with a dramatic gasp of 'Me?' but this one was taken little notice of.

Unsurprisingly it was the second repeat that Arthur quickly answered; _yes Cirion, he knows about your magic and knows that I know, he's the one who got you arrested with some fake witness who apparently also knows but doesn't know I know which it why I know that it's made up because he does know, you know?_

Merlin just responded with a befuddled look and an exasperated tone at the evidence of his friend finally cracking, _what?_

Huffing Arthur threw him a mental eye roll, _never mind, just keep your mouth closed for once!_

Ignoring his father, he pulled up a clear canvas expression and drew his head to where the over-stayed royal stood in his attention seeking finery watching them with a daring smirk on his face, "Cirion, I have some questions about this apparent witness of yours – if you don't mind," he coolly added.

It was clear that Uther was about to give his son an earful about his opinion on this comment but Cirion turned to the man and showing how much power he had managed to weasel during his stay successfully said, "Don't worry Uther, let the boy ask his questions – it may help give him some closure for his trauma."

Turning back he threw up a picture of condescending sympathy and gently asked as if speaking to a child on the verge of a tantrum, "Ask away lad."

Returning with a tight smile Arthur clicked his mind into action for the subtle battle that he was about to undergo, _one chance…_

"You claimed that this witness just happened to stumble across my manservant and I mid-fight that day correct?"

"Indeed," Cirion drawled, smug in his knowledge that the prince wasn't going to be able to compete with him when it came to weaving words.

He gave a sharp nod at the confirmation, "So he must be quite a brave fellow, most men wouldn't even dare think to approach the sound of a battle, least of all a mild farmer."

The King's eyes narrowed at the prince's lightly sarcastic tone, "Well I do pride my citizens for their hard nerves – take after their King you see."

"But of course," Arthur exclaimed, "Though it does seem strange that such a brave man, who clearly has a lot of concern for others if he took the trouble to come and enquire about the fight in the first place, and comes from under the reign of such a good-willed King wouldn't offer any help when seeing a lone man battling when vastly out-numbered."

A few whispers broke out in the crowd at the prince's statement and a sharpness could be sensed in Cirion's replying tone, "As I said, he felt that he would have been a hindrance."

"Well of course he would have been!" Arthur enthusiastically agreed, "He's just a farmer, how could he possibly have any knowledge about fighting or any of those petty things you learn when being a man of arms…"

His voice suddenly melted into a thoughtful tone and he tapped a finger to his chin as if something had only just occurred to him, "You know, when you think about it, it's quite surprising that nobody noticed another man arriving at the scene – the ability of stealth, especially in a forest is quite a fate to master, Merlin certainly hasn't learnt it despite the constant journeys he accompanies me on; even my knights take a while to perfect the silence…"

As if on cue the present knights eagerly nodded, enjoying the sight of the visiting King who only ever had scorning words for them tensing as their leader continued to speak.

"So it's quite strange that a farmer who has had no training and has no fighting ability could so easily sneak up on a group of trained men, even if they'd learnt through criminal means."

A faint clicking of knuckles could be heard as Cirion thinly replied, "There was a fight in play; it wouldn't have been exactly quiet.

"But there were men around the edge of the clearing who could have easily heard a man stumbling around in the trees," Cocking his head with exaggerated curiosity he asked, "You don't think I could have taken on a dozen men all at once and lived? Even I'm not that good; despite all of your charming compliments."

"That's because you didn't realise your manservant was attacking those other men through magical means," He snarled, not enjoying the way the conversation was playing out.

Here Arthur folded his arms and threw his own smug smirk at the King, "See that's the other thing I was curious of – everyone here knows that I am very protective of all my citizens, even the idiotic ones, I would willingly die for them which I have proved on many an occasion…"

_Arthur where are you going with this? _Merlin hissed, unable to read how his friend's words were going to aid them in anyway.

He was only rewarded with a throbbing foot from the prince's annoyance at being distracted.

"…Which is why nobody would be surprised by the fact that as I was fighting Merlin was firmly placed behind me, to shelter him from the attack; which also meant he was hidden from the few viewpoints in the surrounding trees – actually the only way this witness could have seen this supposed act of magic occur would have been if he was placed directly in the clearing alongside the bandits."

This time it was him who allowed a dramatic pause; he could now see the attractiveness of it, "Hence leading to the question – do you want to change any part of your story Cirion?"

The King was frozen as his own cocky confidence was thrown back at him; the tearing anger had now melted into pale nerves as the foundation of his plan was ripped from beneath his feet. Twitching his head to risk a glance at Uther who he was hoping was failing to see the logic in his son's words from his blind hatred for magic, he found himself receiving a shivering glare which made it clear that this was not the case.

A shaky laugh brushed through his lips but he quickly cut it off as a tense eyebrow lifted at the sound. Releasing a firm cough Cirion clutched onto his cracking façade of innocence and spread his arms to Camelot's King with a flickering smile, his tone trying to portray the turn of events as an amusing joke, "Uther my friend – believe me when I sincerely tell you that I had no desire to lie to you; I hold you in the highest of regards, but when I knew that your son – a boy I see as my nephew – was in danger; well I felt that a small error in my witnesses account would cause no harm in the route for justice and safety…"

He stumbled on the last few words as Uther's hand moved to the hilt of his sword and he ran his tongue over his drying lips; his voice speeding up as the man's darkening eyes narrowed into silts, "The man who witnessed the performance of sorcery – well he was one of the bandits – but I didn't divulge this information because I felt that you wouldn't take notice of the account, which I can assure you was truthful – I drew it out of him myself when he was found in the forest after the attack – when I had him arrested – in such a state not one word passing his lips would have been a lie…"

"So this group of bandits were of your Kingdom?" A curious voice inquired.

Cirion's head snapped around at the sudden interruption and his wild eyes met the collected prince's with a desperate fire; the look that passed showed that they both knew the King had little left to play.

"I couldn't be certain," he spat, his left hand jerking from a slight twitch.

"But you said you found this bandit in the forest that I had been attacked in when you arrested him, well I certainly remember not being in _your_ Kingdom during the fight," Arthur brushed his fingers against his chin, his tone gaining a hint of mockery, "So if he wasn't one of your citizens then you were sure going through a lot of trouble to find him."

Cirion's eyes widened as it began to dawn on him that the prince wasn't just going along the route of claiming him to be a liar; he was planning on accusing him of something more.

"Which does make you wonder how you even knew where this bandit was in the first place, especially since he wasn't anywhere near Lorem; logically the only way you could have known where to find him would have been if…" The prince released an exaggerated gasp and turned to the shaking King with a very believable look of spontaneous thought painting his features as he whispered, "If you had sent him there in the first place."

It was the line that Cirion had been waiting for, and if he had been the one to say it; he would have been very proud of the reaction that it caused.

The handful of customary guards placed on the balcony swiped their swords from their belts and had them stroking the King's throat before he could take a breath.

The crowd below released a synchronised exclamation of shock and anger, subconsciously tightening around where Arthur stood in a sign of loyalty to their prince.

And finally Cirion could swear he heard a growl emit from Uther's throat as his own sword left its sheaf with a sliding ring.

_Arthur what are you doing!_ Merlin viciously hissed to his friend who was currently the epitome of confidence to everyone bar the warlock who could feel the waves of guilt storming in the pits of his stomach.

_Saving our lives,_ the prince spat back.

_No you're lying!_

_I'm not!_

_Yes – you are!_

_It could be true!_

_No it could not – because you don't believe it is!_

Arthur threw the warlock a murderous glare for their two second argument and forced a finality into his reply, _I know what I'm doing, just trust me and leave it!_

Sensing Merlin bristle at the order he mentally sighed and softened his tone, _please?_

Narrowing his eyes the boy reluctantly nodded but Arthur could still feel him searching his mind to check that he wasn't planning anything stupid.

Up on the balcony, beads of sweat were beginning to trickle down Cirion's pale skin as he failed to sense any words that would weave his way out of the situation. He wasn't used to being on the side of defeat when it came to a battle with only the ammunition of speech; he had slid himself into the courts of the neighbouring Kingdoms, had even managed to keep up his powerful appearance and continue to receive invite despite his kingdom falling into ruin after… that happened – yet now it had all turned against him, he had been beaten by a boy using his own words against him.

"Uther… I" He started with a last pitiful attempt at changing the standings but Arthur was on him as soon as he took the breath to speak.

"Which would explain why you took so long to report this supposed witness account," The prince continued, "If you were just worried for my safety as you claim then we would have welcomed a surprise visit from you with the news a couple of months ago – clearly when your organised attack on me failed you decided to instead set your sights on killing my manservant by falsely accusing him of an act that is taken very seriously in our kingdom– perhaps you were planning to offer a replacement servant afterwards who would have finished your job by stabbing me in my sleep?"

It was the final cut; Cirion dropped to the floor as Uther's blade swiped inches from his head, only the wall of guards trapping him preventing the sword from slicing through his panic struck face. Blindly scrambling in the sea of legs the King attempted to escape the army of swords hunting him but a rough hand clutched around his neck and he was lifted off the ground in a choke hold; the guard titling him to face the wrath of the high King.

Uther stalked towards the weasel of a man with predatory intent, his sword lightly swinging between his fingers before looping up and resting on Cirion's tensed throat.

"Take this traitor to the dungeons," He growled, placing extra force on his sword so a few drops of blood trickled down the man's neck, "And prepare the axe for execution tomorrow."

The hand bruising his skin dropped him like a disease and he crashed to the stone floor; his chin whiplashing against the hard surface, but before being able to recover from the shock he was grasped under either arm and roughly dragged into the castle; the guards he passed kicking and spitting at his aching body to make their hatred clear.

Uther watched the once King disappear behind the balcony door, only the presence of his citizens blocking him from stabbing the man through the heart right there; he may still be fuming at his son's behaviour but that didn't mean that assassination attempts against him went unpunished – they had a complicated relationship.

Forcefully pushing his sword back into its sheaf he turned from the crowd and shoved past the guards sticking to him for protocol protection; he needed a strong drink and by hell he was going to get one.

But unfortunately a meaningful cough halted the King in the first few steps of his rampage and he stiffly spun around to look down at his son who was staring at him with impatient apprehension, "So – can Merlin…"

Arthur left the sentence hanging, knowing nothing would be gained by purposely pointing out his father's mistake any more than it had been already.

His unspoken question got a rough grunt and dismissive wave as Uther stormed into the castle, the shatter of the door showing his dislike for having to allow his son's annoying manservant to live since all the evidence was seemingly false.

_Well I must say that was one of my finer moments of spontaneity_, Arthur added to the mental silence with a wave of relief as the last vibration from the slamming door faded away.

Merlin sent him a shower of exasperation but didn't hitch onto his friend's attempt at a callous attitude, _so what were you planning to do if lying and sending an innocent man, __however hated he may be, to __his death didn't work?_

Shrugging off the ropes which were untied by the guard on the pyre with them he stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out the battered bread that had once been his breakfast, _thought we could have made use of the fire._

Unlike the prince Merlin took a moment to thank the guard who untied him before slapping the bread out of Arthur's hand and catching his wrist in a firm grasp, his nails digging into his flesh, _you have just condemned a ma__n to death under false pretence – I don't care if it saved our lives because right now you're doing exactly what Cirion just did to us, and that makes you as bad as him. _

Cautiously Arthur pried the warlock's fingers off his reddening wrist and dropped his fake light-hearted emotions, _I asked you to trust me and that request hasn't ended yet – I know what I'm doing…_

Turning to glance at the space Cirion had been struggling a few moments ago a rush of grief swept over him and Merlin studied him with a sense of confusion as the need to pity his friend tugged at his core, though he didn't know why … _besides – I have a promise to keep._

Please review, thank you :) x


	15. A Promise Fulfilled

**The Bonds of Friendship**

**Disclaimer:** Merlin belongs to the BBC, only the storyline belongs to me

So this is the final chapter - thank you to all my readers; past, present and future! Thank you for your reviews, favourites and alerts but don't allow the word 'completed' to stop you doing these actions :P

Also a special thank you to Ocean Mint Leaves who has been so kind with her words and effort to review after all my chapters - you really inspired me to get through my moments of writers block :)

I hope you enjoy it x

A Promise Fulfilled

The cold night air was like a slap in the face as pain shot up the rejected man's dried cheek from the shift of wind scratching his open wounds. He huddled further into himself in the corner of the cell opposite to where the remainders of the wooden bed lay, trying to retain some of his body heat; it seemed that the guards didn't appreciate the idea of someone trying to kill their prince and liked it even less when the same person did anything to bring harm to the castle pet.

A rugged cough dragged out of his bloodied throat and the movement caused the neck chain to rub further into his skin; he released a strangled hiss as his bruised wrists automatically tried to rise to adjust the chain but were held back by the set of shackles attached to the dank wall.

Despite the past seventeen hours he had spent aching and bleeding in the corner of the small cell after a serious beating, where he had been repeatedly reminded that nobody touches the prince or Merlin without consequence; Cirion was still finding it hard to grasp the fact that he had failed.

His entire life had been filled with the drive to be the best, to be the smartest and quickest and to never allow himself a moment to think about the hurt he had caused through his rise to power.

Which was why the lonesome hours in the dungeon had left cracked tear tracks on his face as the silence and lack of opportunity requiring him to be planning someone's downfall had closed in on his mind; leaving only the hidden images and sounds of the dead screaming curses to his name as company.

He had once been a remorseful man; like others he had felt guilt for his wrong doings and would try to set them right with apologies and kind gestures to neutralise the pain he had caused.

The King could remember the exact moment that he had become what he was now.

It had been led by his need for power; Lorem had always been looked down on as the weak kingdom, laughed at by the other members of court, only visited out of pity. Aurea had been the chance to change that ever-grating perspective; he was the fresh and new player to the private game among the lands.

He had loved his son; it may have been an expression that he never showed but it was there none the less. That's why when the sharp echo of his hand striking the cheek of his five year old son sounded after the boy claimed he didn't want to be a prince, the guilt that filled Cirion was so over-whelming that the man had suppressed it far within his mind, as he knew that no words could ever apologise enough for what he had just done to the little boy he loved so deeply.

From that day Cirion no longer uttered the word 'sorry' or tried to rectify his actions through gifts and unexpected acts of mercy because he knew that if he apologised for even the smallest action, that burning guilt would stifle him as his mind would whisper that if he could be remorseful for shouting at a servant, then he had to deal with the fact that the hideous purple bruise his son had displayed for a week had been his fault.

This unhealthy technique had left a raging storm of self-hatred and guilt living with him every second of the day, and his need to pour out the anger that deep within he knew he deserved, caused it to be thrust upon everyone else; his people, his wife… his son.

And when all of that was stolen away from him in one moment, the King had scavenged to find anywhere else to store his dark emotions as they began to crawl up from the depths of his mind and cut at him for all the pain and death he had caused. It had been a desperate faint memory of the golden prince of Camelot flashing through the darkness that had lighted the pure hatred for the boy and had caused his broken mind to blame all of his losses on Arthur Pendragon.

A sharp click shattered the King's replay of self-loathing and he growled at being unable to wipe away the fresh tears dripping onto his cuts as the dull creak of the dungeon door echoed into the small space. On raising his head his growl deepened at the sight of the very man plaguing his thoughts standing before him; studying him with a blank expression.

The rumbling noise from Cirion's throat seemed to snap Arthur from his inner contemplations and he threw a quick look down the strangely empty corridor before crouching in front of the King; leaving a few inches between them. He cursed his body for flinching as the prince entered his personal space, but he managed to hold the piercing gaze that was sent at him, waiting for the boy to speak first and divulge his motives for being in the cell.

"Do you love your son?"

Cirion froze at the unimaginable question, out of all the words he'd expected to come from the prince's mouth, maybe involving long-strewn insults with a broken nose to follow; that had not been one of them.

Arthur let out a sharp breath and threw a glance over his shoulder, turning back to the unresponsive man he hissed with a sense of urgency, "Look, you hate me and in return I hate you but right now you're going to have to forget that if you want a chance at living – so I ask again, do you love Aurea?"

Still confused by the prince's question and not trusting his voice to speak with the state his mind was currently in, he simply replied with as much of a nod that the shackle around his neck allowed.

At his movement Arthur suddenly snapped his hands out to the King who reactively pushed back into the wall and screwed his eyes up, waiting for the feel of a fist hitting his face.

But instead he felt a weight fall from his left arm, quickly followed by his right and then finally the feel of full breath being admitted access down his throat as the last shackle was thrown across the room. His eyes flew open in shock and he just managed to catch sight of a key disappearing back into the prince's tunic pocket.

Suddenly he found himself being gently lifted off the ground by a firm grip on an undamaged area of his arm along with a side bag being placed over his neck.

The loss of metal digging into his body and the sense of freedom were still trying to grip themselves as reality in the King's mind and his vacant stare stayed fixed on his free wrists; the frantic voice of the prince dulling as background noise.

Two hands suddenly put pressure on either side of his face and they dragged his head to turn to look at Arthur's worried gaze, "Cirion listen to me!"

The hurried whispers swirled around the King's mind but he couldn't quite understand the words; it was all just noise. He succeeded in dragging his misty gaze to fix on the prince's moving mouth and he tried to work out what the hyped up man was trying to say but it just reached his mind as a blurred rumble; his head still trying to adjust to the first change of altitude in the past seventeen hours.

Suddenly the mist snapped away and the sense of the room, the feel, the smell, the sight and the noise drew back to their normal sharp focus and his brain began to receive the prince's words for what they were.

"… in the bag! Do you understand Cirion? There's a map in the bag along with enough provisions to get you to the place that's circled on the parchment – the guards will be back in a minute so you need to move now. Just follow the tunnel on the right and you'll find a horse waiting for you at the end. Do you understand?"

He gave the man a brief shake as he demanded confirmation and was rewarded with a strangled 'yes'.

With a returning nod he pulled Cirion out of the cell and turned him in the direction of the tunnel but before the King thought he would be pushed down the corridor he grasped the prince's arm and looked at him with a pure disbelief and confusion, "Why are you doing this?"

His voice came out as a scratched whisper with a plea of desperation in it and the years of guilt in his chest inflated even more by the look of pity the prince he had thrown his cruelty onto for so long gave him.

"I promised to give you a message from an old friend," Arthur gently revealed, lightly taking the King's hand off his arm and carefully nudging him towards the tunnel, "He said: Sometimes gaining forgiveness can be the key to allowing that first apology."

Then sending a firm kick at the open cell door so the top rusted hinge crashed to the floor, leaving the metal bars swinging over the entrance the prince turned his back on the King and jogged towards the staircase.

Blinking at the cell that was now the picture of a daring one-man break out, Cirion forced himself to follow the prince's actions and stiffly ran down the dimly lit corridor. But then a sense of curiosity hit the man and he achingly whipped around with a hushed call, "Goldey?"

Arthur's head popped back around the corner on the staircase he had just disappeared up, a strange expression on his face at the softness of the tone that normally spoke the nickname with such acidity.

The King ran his tongue over his dry lips and asked with the tone of a nervous child, "Who sent the message?"

The prince's mouth drew into a light knowing smile and he gently replied, "Follow the map Cirion."

And the sight of the young blonde boy vanished from the King's sight for the last time, leaving him to continue down the corridor with a tiny spark of something near recognisable to hope flickering through the dark flood in his mind.

* * *

><p>Two men sat in a companionable silence in-front of the lazy flames dancing in the grand fire place; the dim light briefly highlighting the watchers features through the darkness of the early hours of the awaiting day.<p>

Arthur was slouched in his favoured armchair, absent-mindedly sliding a feathered pen between his fingers and allowing his brain to linger on small unimportant thoughts to give it a well-deserved rest. Meanwhile, Merlin was perched in the opposite fabric chair with his feet laying on his friend's knees from a subconscious need to take comfort through the connection; gazing into the burning wood as the harsh ringing of the warning bells echoed through the castle walls.

_Shouldn't you be helping? _The warlock casually asked, not taking his eyes from the orange strands reflecting in his gaze.

The prince didn't turn to the question, _I'm sure my men have it under control._

_It could be something to do with Cirion_, Merlin replied as his eye-line moved to study his finger nails.

_Maybe…_

_He could have escaped._

_He is a clever man._

_But he'd probably have taken quite a heavy beating from the guards._

_I'm sure he did._

_Would have needed some help to run away._

_A logical analysis._

_You disappeared for quite a while earlier._

_Well noticed._

_Stop by the dungeons on your travels?_

_I have no idea what you are talking about._

Another comfortable silence fell over them as the clatter of boots and rising shouts of orders and directions filled the courtyard below before the heavy footsteps speed away along with a clip of hooves through the castle gates, the noises fading out until they became soft distance murmurs in the night air.

_You tell him about the grate at the end of the tunnel?_

_Even left him a horse._

Their gazes flicked to catch each-other and identical smirks drew onto their features as they simultaneously hit the other with waves of amusement.

Arthur let out the first chuckle, shoving the warlock's feet off him as the boy fell into a fit of giggles, allowing him to fall off his chair as his humour grew into hysterical laughter as the past few weeks events caught up with his mind and began to release all the tension and anxiety that had been stirred up in his body for so long, _trust Merlin's way of dealing with a stressing situation to be collapsing into a fit of giggles._

As his friend rolled around on the floor clutching his stomach Arthur moved to his far window, looking out over the forest that hopefully held Cirion deep in its mists by now, far from the reach of the Camelot knights and soldiers.

He knew he would never be able to completely forgive the King for everything he had done to him over the years, especially concerning some of the most recent events. But the pain and torture he had seen staring at him through the man's eyes in that cell… well it had given him a rough idea of why he had done what he had.

It seemed that Cirion had never got over the death of his son and wife as he presented, he had been the master of façades and fake images and it seemed that he had played everyone over the years when it came to his own life – even himself. _Maybe all the bright, jewelled clothes where more of an attempt at tricking himself into believing he was fine with his past, rather than a mockery to it._

But now perhaps the tormented King could finely find peace with himself… _and somehow help Aurea do the same._

The waves of humour dimming down drew Arthur back to the room and he turned to see Merlin clawing back onto his chair with fresh tears splashed on his cheeks, the remainder of a childish grin still on his face.

He rolled his eyes and shoved the boys head as he re-took his seat, clearing his head of the thoughts of Cirion and Aurea since he felt they deserved their privacy, and also he would rather just put the whole event behind him rather than have to sit through a bombard of questions if Merlin caught whiff of the Keepay and his relevance to the prince's life.

Though as the warlock's legs were about to re-fall onto Arthur's knees one last thought regarding the once prince broke through, _what did he mean when he said Merlin knew more than he let on?_

The boy's feet came into contact with his friend for the spilt second that the words were fully formed before they scattered among a variety of mundane quirks and ideas, but it was enough and Merlin suddenly tensed, strands of guilt pouring off the boy as he quickly cast his gaze to anything in the room apart from Arthur.

_Merlin…_ He drew out with a warning tone; the first time this had been mentioned after they'd left the Cave the prince had let it drop, but if it had enough significance to make the warlock feel the same amount of guilt the second time the question was asked… _what are you blocking from me?_

He could feel the mixed emotions lapping off his friend, obviously torn between denying that he was hiding anything or just admitting whatever it was that he clearly _was_keeping cornered off in that special 'Merlin Lock Box' in his head.

But as the warlock met his gaze he felt the waves dejectedly simmer down to admittance; it was already clear that the prince now knew that something was being held under the secret genre so there was little point of trying to convince him otherwise.

_Look,_ he sighed as he shifted his body to face his friend_, it's not a massive thing and I did have liable reasons for keeping the information from you._

Arthur raised his eyebrow, _meaning you were trying to protect me from something._

Merlin rolled his eyes at the annoyance emitting from the prince, _well it kind of is my job._

_No it's not! You…_ but with a sharp breath intake, he stopped the beginning of his over-used speech about how his life was his own to look after since the warlock never actually took it in and tiredly surrendered, _just tell me what stupid feat you did now in my honour._

Merlin resisted the urge to childishly stick his tongue out at the prince but he couldn't help the sheepish waves fly from him, _well you remember how when this first started you told me to do some research on it all but I told you I hadn't. _

_Yes…_ Arthur curiously drawled.

_Well at the time I told the truth – I hadn't done any research, but later on, after that day where my fatigue became more noticeable since it affected your fighting – I kind of did go and look up stuff about our connection… and I found something._

_You mean we didn't have to go to the Cave in the first place!_ The prince shouted with disbelief, he could have been spared all those days of torture with Merlin dying in his arms if the same dying boy had just shown him some books!

_No! No – that's to do with what I found, I knew we did have to have the connection completed – I didn't know about the Caves of Animas specifically, but I did know that we clearly hadn't been fully bonded…_ Sighing he shook his head, trying to rattle his thoughts into place; _it'll be easier if I just explain without you interrupting._

Arthur gave a mild grunt in response, his emotions showing that he'd dropped into a sulk over not being told about important research.

_Thanks,_ the warlock tried to sincerely reply but failed as mild waves of amusement sprinkled from him at Arthur's child-like behaviour, _right, well as I said I did the research after that training session – it was clear that my high levels of tiredness weren't natural so it sent me after some answers._

_It took quite an effort to actually find the time to get to the library and dig around without you noticing, I'd managed to block you from sensing my presence but I couldn't hold it for long so it didn't give me much lee-way during the day; so the following days some of my fatigue was natural since I spent most of the night down in that dust ridden room piling over a load of battered books._

_The reason I hid the fact that I was doing research was because of the obvious effect the connection was having on me; and I knew that if you were aware that I was concerned enough about it to willingly do excessive research that you'd start panicking and turn all fuming over-protective prince on me._

A grudging wave of agreement fell over him at the last line.

_Eventually I found this small, beat-up notebook – it was full of a load of hardly readable scrawl but when I did manage to understand it… it revealed quite a lot._

_It belonged to a long-dead sorcerer from the time of the Great Purge – it was during the darkest times of the battle where the people of magic were losing ground and fast running out of ideas. The book contained notes from an experiment this sorcerer had tried… he believed that if it worked it would win them the war; which in hindsight, it probably would have._

_He'd created this spell that could connect the life-forces of two people, tying them to each-other in life and death; he knew that if he was successful, it meant that each sorcerer would be able to bind themselves to a soldier of the enemy meaning they would be inclined to live, since the only way Uther and his men would be able to kill them would be by killing themselves. _

_The one condition of the spell was that the party it was being performed on had to be on the brink of death; therefore allowing the two life-forces to connect as the casters force would be drawn into the dying's to bring them back to full restoration. _

_This sorcerer managed to capture a lone soldier, and he took him to his hidden base where he'd been creating the idea of the spell and stabbed him straight through the chest before performing the first part of the spell. It took a couple of days for the soldier to fully regain health and during these days the sorcerer slowly fell into a weaker state of mind – there weren't many notes around this time showing how much toll the soldier taking his life-force was having on him. _

Studying Arthur's absorbed features he sent a wave of sincerity, _that's what made me realise that our form of the connection wasn't completed, because he had specifically noted that section as the first part of the spell – I'd been encouraged thinking that I __would __get a solution from the second part; but instead it was the next section that made me adamant to keep the information from you._

_The soldier fully recovered; he was conscious, able to speak, think and move – there was nothing wrong with him unlike the sorcerer who was quickly fading. This is where he performed the second part of the spell; it hit them both straight away – he described it as a snapping action that sent them both flying in opposite directions._

_But where the sorcerer got up to find that he was completely back to his well-being state of health – he found the soldier with a broken mind, gabbling away huddled in the corner of the room._

_He'd waited for weeks on end – writing endless notes of the man's behaviour and hoping that it would eventually disappear and he'd be back to normal – but it just got worse and as the soldier's mind regressed his savage side increased, he was constantly attacking himself, the sorcerer – anything that got in his way._

_The final sentences in the journal state the sorcerer's decision to kill the soldier – it was likely he'd end up killing himself anyway and even if he released him to fend for himself in the wild; he'd probably either be murdered by one of his own men or one of the magical community. _

_So in the end his spell finished with his own suicide._

Arthur had his eyebrows knitted together as he firmly stared into the crackling fire, his emotions surprisingly under-control and giving off no indication of how he was reacting to the new back-story, _so that's why__ you kept refusing to see Gaius; you didn't want to complete the spell._

_Yes__… __I was worried he'd already know about the past experiment seeing as he's quite knowledgeable about that era_, Merlin nervously replied, he wasn't used to the prince being so neutral with his feelings; it was more menacing than when he just started shouting.

Slowly Arthur turned back to face the warlock and leant forward, placing one hand heavily on his leg to stop him from being able to move away; as Merlin's foot began to dig into the prince's stomach as he continued to bend forward he suddenly raised his free hand and smacked the boy around the back of the head, _you idiot!_

Merlin mentally grinned as waves of amusement lined with understanding were sent to him but externally he made a show of grumbling about his now throbbing head.

He knew that Arthur understood why he hadn't shown him the research when he'd found it; his first instinct was always to protect the prince, even if it meant having to protect him from his own mind. Arthur would never agree with the warlock's need to effortlessly throw his own life away for the sake of his life, just as Merlin would never agree to stop doing so.

It wasn't something they needed to discuss; they both knew where the other stood and their reasoning's for doing so but this didn't mean that Merlin could miss the opportunity to say his famous line, _I'm sorry for keeping it from you__,__ but you know that I'll always be by your side protecting you with my life._

Arthur huffed but he threw some gratitude at his friend for the sentiment and Merlin returned it with a grin.

The camaraderie silence drifted over them again as the weight of the spoken promise fell into the room; Arthur had an inkling that he should say something similar in return but in that typical Merlin fashion the warlock quickly skirted around the serious moment.

_Which basically means I'm stuck with you, and I really didn't want to have to be responsible for a lunatic for the rest of my days; you're weird enough already. _

_Merlin._

_Yes?_

_Shut up._

Please review, thank you :) x


End file.
